Thoughts of the well scarred, and dark cloaked wolf would remain in his thoughts as he finished his patrolling that day. He was distracted as he made his way to bed, curling about his wife, until his dreams brought him back to the days he had first taught his Spitfire better half how to battle.

He rose early the next day, checking the stocks of their supplies and doing his first patrol of the morning. He caught the scent of Resin at the borders, as he often did. The old warrior often spent her time patrolling.

He made his way back to the communal space as the day continued on, sunlight filtering through the tall grasses of the plains. He stopped here, howling for Tamsyn, so he could met her in this place she knew, and lead her down to his arenas.

Tamsyn made a point to rise early that morning so she could eat and get fully ready for the day by the time the sun was high in the sky. The excitement and nerves she had felt yesterday had come back ten-fold, but she had made a promise to Sirius that she would train with him so that’s exactly what she had set her mind to do. She let herself take a deep breath before she set out toward the common area of the pack. She wasn’t exactly sure where to find him, but she figured that was as good a place as any to start looking.

Just as she began her short track, a howl called to her that made her smile. It seemed like her hunch had been correct. She picked up the pace, her light, dancing strides easily carrying her to meet the much larger male. Her tail wagged gently behind her as she made her way over to him, a far cry from the slightly timid approach she had given him yesterday. ”Good morning!” she said in greeting, giving him a small dip of her head. Even though her nerves were making her jittery, she still looked at him expectantly and tried to calm herself in the process.

The quickness in which she arrived, told him that she had not been far when he had called. There was the brightness of life to her eyes, of one who knew she had something to look forward to. “Good morning, Tamsyn” he greeted her pleasantly. “Let me give you a tour of our training area” he suggested, as he began to move from the communal meeting place.

He took her agreement for granted as he took them both to Sea’s Plains, where multiple small arenas had been constructed in the sad. Built to allow the water that rose in the high tide to wash away blood and muck, and keep the arena clean.

The barracks, built to house a large number of warriors during training regiments, stood closest to Tall Grass Plains, and away from the reach of the water. He lead his young prospective warrior to the first arena, and stepped over the border, turning to Tamsyn to indicate she did the same, and see if she was finished taking in the lay of the land.

Tamsyn followed along behind Sirius willingly, making sure to pay attention to the path they took as he led the way to their next destination. Soon enough the spot that was obviously the training area he had spoken of came into view and she looked at it all curiously. It seemed like they had really found a way to make the best use of this watery area and it was all incredibly interesting to someone like her that loved to explore and learn more about the land. Maybe she would have to come back some other time to fully explore it when there wasn’t other training to be done.

She shifted her eyes back to Sirius and noticed that he had stepped into the sandy arena closest to them so she did the same, moving to stand across from him. It felt awkward to stand here, like she didn’t quite know what to do with herself. She looked to the Warlord with a small smile, letting him take the lead and waiting for her first set of instructions.

His newest apprentice took a space across from him, her stance showed the awkwardness of her thoughts, and he looked at her a moment, and then grinned, shaking his head in amusement. Okay, so he had his work cut out for him. So long as Tamsyn was eager to learn, then he did not think of it as a chore, but a privilege to help her grow.

“Alright, let’s start with your stance” he decided, covering the short distance between them. “You need to be steady, and stable, spread your legs just so, and dig your paws into the sand, raise your tail behind you for balance, or tuck it so it’s not a target, never just leave it dangling, always consider where your appendages are” he explained. As he spoke he gently taped a paw to each leg, helping her place them apart. Once she was set, he told her to hold it and ducked away for a moment. He returned with numerous small stones, and placed them by each foot. “laying the groundwork is important, we want these stances to feel natural and comfortable, I want you to step out of this tance, and then back into, every time we start a lesson, and in your spare time, too when you find you're just standing there.” he instructed, giving away his intention to make this a regular occurrence.

When he chuckled it helped to ease a bit of the tension in her shoulders. Maybe someone else would have been embarrassed by his reaction to their attempts to seem natural in this new environment, but she was very aware of how ridiculous and awkward she looked. She wanted to look ready to learn and comfortable in the arena as she faced the Warlord, but she just wasn’t capable of that just yet. Perhaps one day that would change and she could confidently stand here for a real fight of her own, but for now she was happy to just absorb every bit of knowledge she could get her paws on.

Tamsyn took all of the notes she was given and adjusted her stance accordingly. Her paws shifted as his larger paws tapped each of her limbs until she had the steady, stable stance he had described. She let her toes spread till they were able to dig into the sand, her claws anchoring her on the soft ground. Her tail ended up laying flat in line with her spine. Now that she was in this fighting stance she could feel the noticeable difference between this and how she would normally stand. She could feel herself flexing muscles that she hardly ever used before now. She nodded in understanding as he instructed her to practice this stance often. She gave a curious glance to the stones he put by her paws, but as she relaxed into her normal stance and then shifted back into the fighting stance he had placed her in before, she saw how they helped mark her place in the sand. They were certainly helpful as she practiced falling into the stance more quickly, trying to learn how to do it without needing to think about each paw every time.

His love for teaching was one of those things that had changed the Warlords path. Making this pack a place of schooling, instead of one purely of war. A year ago he never would have suspected he would create a pack that was a school and a sanctuary both. His protective instincts had gone haywire somewhere along the line, and he had claimed many. Once he had decided they were his, there was little he wouldn’t do to ensure their safety.
How strange his world had become, how strange and unexpected.

He nodded in approval as Tamsyn put herself into the stance and out again, practising how it felt. It would take more than a day to lay the groundworks, but she would have the knowledge now to work on it. “Good.” he murmured, taking a step back as he surveyed her carefully. His eyes occasionally flitted to her scars, reminding him of his anger and frustration, and the reason he taught her.

“Let’s get a feel for your instincts, lunge at me, go for soft spots, the joints of my ankle, the soft spots behind my knees. You're smaller than I am, more nimble. Use it.”

After a few attempts at setting her stance, Tamsyn was certain that she at least could remember what this felt like so she could continue to practice later. It still wasn’t a natural stance for her, but she knew how to do it and for now that’s what was important. It earned her a small, simple praise from her teacher which pulled a smile to her muzzle. She decided that focusing on small accomplishments was going to be the only way she was going to be able to look at the daunting task of learning how to fight and not get overwhelmed. The fact that even just learning how to stand was a thing she had to practice told her that much. She was determined though and refused to let herself give up.

His next task for her made her more uncertain than the last, but did her best to not think about it too much or second guess herself. She figured that the more she over analyzed what she was going to do the worse it was going to be. The more her nerves got in the way the more hesitant her moves were going to be. Instead, she tried to do as he said and just test her instincts. Using the grip her paws had on the sand underfoot, she made her lunge toward him. She darted off to his right side a bit, keeping her body mostly out of reach while she kept low to the ground in an attempt to keep her balance as she moved quickly across the soft surface. She went to bite at his ankle as he suggested, stopping as soon as her teeth grazed his skin so she wouldn’t actually bite him before taking a quick step back away from him. She was a bit clumsy falling back into that defensive stance, but she settled into it eventually. She didn’t feel nearly as steady or graceful as she had seen some fighters be, but she didn’t feel like she had done horribly either so it didn’t feel like the worst first “attack” she had ever done.

He watched her, saw hints of her uncertainty in her posture, and her expression, but the determination was there as well. The drive. So long as she held onto that, she would find a way to master what he taught her. She gave herself a way by how her paws tightened in the sand, and her muscles tensed. He looked for the signs and found them, as she launched herself towards him. Sirius kept himself still, making no move to swat at her as she took her attack to the side, keeping low and balanced in a way that made him proud. Her teeth grazed his ankles, and he allowed her the attack. ”Not bad” he said, twisting to show the slight grazing her teeth had left in his fur. “Try for a bite-pull next time, try and throw me off balance as you dart past. You want my retaliation to cost me, do I lunge at you and lose my balance? What will attacking you cost me.” he said, indicating for her to come at him again. He wanted her to consider her attacks, to maximise their effectiveness. “Don’t be afraid to draw blood” "Speech"

The black-furred female felt a heavy dose of concern and doubt when Sirius insisted that she not be afraid to draw blood, but she didn't want to shy away from his challenges either. This was what fighting was after all. It was drawing blood, it was breaking skin. She had never bitten into anything that wasn't prey before so there was a heavy beat of hesitation before she moved again. She centered herself into the stance he had taught her again, her toes digging into the sand and tail helping her balance. Tamsyn leapt forward again, trying to take advantage of the slightly off centered position her last attack had left her in. In her mind she tried to imagine ways that he would be able to grab ahold of her and did her best to minimize the chance of it even though she was certain he wouldn't actually hurt her badly. It was more or less just a way to help her visualize what she should do.

She attempted to quickly dart toward Sirius' side, her jaws reaching for his foreleg as she went. Her teeth reached for his elbow, letting herself attempt to latch on more firmly. The thought of actually biting the Warlord still felt strange to her, but she tried her best to put that out of her mind. She was just doing as she had been instructed, that was all. At least that's what she told herself. She tried to do as he said and give the joint a firm tug to try and knock the much larger wolf off balance before she hopped out of the way once again, making sure to turn to face him again before she shifted into her slightly crouched, stable stance again. Each time she dropped into that defensive stance it felt more and more comfortable and it gave her a bit of hope that all of this wouldn't feel so strange sooner rather than later.

Sirius was, for the most part, keeping himself still and in the same place. He was a punching-back for the student, with his words as her instructions. His thick hide was littered with the small scars of his lifestyle, and his expression was a mixture of stern and relaxed, a teacher who was happy with the job they had at hand.

She came at him again, the brave little student, and did as he had biden. He felt her teeth latch onto his skin, and swallowed his grunt, knowing it would only put her off. He felt the pull of her teeth, right at the join which she managed to pry forward, compromising his stability. He had to sit on his hunches before he could raise his other paw to swat her, at which point she had already danced away. Of course, the match was essential in slow motion, and she would have her work cut out for her in a real batte, but it was a start, and a good one. “You’ve got your defenses set well, I noticed you return to them every chance you get. I’m happy with them, and you're showing a willingness to attack. I think you’ve got enough of a base to spar.” he said with a touch of pride. He hadn’t done much, it was Tamsyn. She was a natural.

“Lets try this out in real time, feel free to experiment with your attacks” he said, as he backed away to the edge of the arena, and waited for her to do the same. “Come at me, but this time expect me to attack back” he said, as he let them slip into a true spar.

"Speech"

Sirius Fatalis vs Tamsyn for Spar
Round 0/2
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Front leg bracers with knife
Defensive Battle Accessory: Back leg bracers
Companion 1: Black Vulture - extra large - Male - Boosted
Companion 2: Snow Leopard, Female - Battle - Boosted
Mutation - Offensive: Cat claws
Mutation - Offensive: Fangs
Skills: Master Fighter & beginner Hunter
Specialty: Weaponsmaster

She was honestly surprised at her tutor’s praise and to hear that he thought she had enough basics for a spar. She didn’t think she had been doing poorly by any means, but she didn’t feel like she was doing well enough to impress him. Perhaps she needed to give herself more credit than she was... All of those days longly watching the boys train from across the clearing had rubbed off on her at least a little bit perhaps.

Tamsyn noticed how he moved to one side of the practice area and she followed his lead to do the same, squaring off across from him with the empty space of the arena between them. The idea of this being a true spar with him returning her attacks brought her nerves back to the forefront. If she didn’t want to learn so badly she may have backed down and asked for more time to practice first, but she was beyond determined. He had offered her a chance to learn and she didn’t want to take that for granted.

The ebony female settled down into her defenses, the stance slowly feeling more and more familiar as they continued to practice. With her paws separated evenly under her and her claws digging into the sand, she felt ready to make her move with her muscles tensed to do so, but her mind was reeling with what she should do next. She didn’t want to hesitate too long though, so she finally made herself decide and tried to keep in mind what Sirius had told her before. She was smaller than him - take advantage of it.

Tamsyn kept her tail flat with her back and let her neck follow suit as she darted forward, using her speed as much as possible as she tried to close in on him. Once she got within range of him, she pulled her tail in and tucked it out of the way. Her only objective right now were to move fast and make herself as small of a target as possible - and to not slip and fall on the soft sand.

Her target was to dart past his right side with the hope that she might make it to his back right leg. If she made it, then she would reach for his ankle there, keeping her stance in a stable, slightly crouched stance so if she was able to latch her teeth onto his  ankle then she would be able to hop back and use that momentum to pull him off balance. She knew it wasn’t a grand departure from her first attack, but she specifically hoped being further back away from his face would make it even more difficult for him to retaliate and easier for her to get out of the way when he did.

Tamsyn vs Sirius for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Medium
Build: Light
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Novice Navigator
Specialty: N/A

He watched her carefully, watched her determined expression, and careful setting of her stance. She was determined to do her best, and he appreciated her for that. The Armada desperately needed warriors, and he could see Tamsyn standing up against her past and rising in his ranks.

He watched the bunching of her muscles, and the beginning of her attack, as she launched herself forward across the warm sand. He braced himself, digging his paws into the earth, and waited for her attack.

She went for her leg, as they had practiced, and clamped her teeth upon his flesh. She pulled and he granted, and shot his head forward, aiming to graze his teeth against her departing forehead if he was able to.

"Speech"

Sirius Fatalis vs Tamsyn for Spar
Round 1/2
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Front leg bracers with knife
Defensive Battle Accessory: Back leg bracers
Companion 1: Black Vulture - extra large - Male - Boosted
Companion 2: Snow Leopard, Female - Battle - Boosted
Mutation - Offensive: Cat claws
Mutation - Offensive: Fangs
Skills: Master Fighter & beginner Hunter
Specialty: Weaponsmaster

Tamsyn had been watching Sirius closely as she tugged back on his leg, seeing him twist around toward her. She released his leg and ducked away from him, but not in time to completely avoid his long fangs as she swung toward her forehead. They grazed the top of her head as she hopped back away from him, feeling them lightly cut into her skin. It was a shallow, insignificant wound, but it was enough to feel that stinging pain as a result and could feel rivulets of blood begin to drip down though her fur between her eyes. It was a bit startling for her and it made her stagger for the briefest second while she centered her balance again. She knew he had warned her that he would return her attacks this time, but actually feeling them was completely different than just thinking about it. She let herself stay in the moment rather than thinking about it too much, not wanting to falter now after making so much progress. Keeping a low, crouched stance, Tam tried to lean in to the fact that their heights were so different. She leapt toward his right side while staying low to the ground, her toes digging into the sand to stop herself once she was close enough. Since she was so close to him she remembered what he said about her tail and tucked it under her, keeping her ears pinned back as well. She kept her head low and in line with her spine until she was where she wanted to be and attempted to bite at the soft skin along his stomach. She knew he said not to be afraid to draw blood, but she still didn't want to actually hurt him, so if she did get to land her attack then she would just give him a light scrape of her teeth, not much more than a strong nip. Tamsyn vs Sirius for Spar Round 2/2 Age: Over 1 year Size: Medium Build: Light Skills: Beginner Fighter & Advanced Navigator Specialty: N/A

He wasn’t aiming to do any serious damage to her, just to up the game and give her a taste of what it would feel like. To have a wolf attack her in battle. His attack landed, lightly grazing her skin, and he could see the start of blood against the black of her coat.

He gave her a moment to regain her footing as his attack seemed to shock her. She didn’t let the confusion hang around for long. That's my girl he thought, proud, as his new student returned to the fight.

She came at him again, to his right side, and staying close to the ground. She landed an attack against his stomach, and he piveted his weight around after her attack landed, compromising his balance as he went to grab at her retreating right hindleg. “You’ll always get retaliation for your attacks, practice is just to teach you how to minimise it and keep going through them’ he instructed as he attacked. Such was battle, no wolf emerged from them untouched.

"Speech"

Sirius Fatalis vs Tamsyn for Spar
Round 2/2
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Front leg bracers with knife
Defensive Battle Accessory: Back leg bracers
Companion 1: Black Vulture - extra large - Male - Boosted
Companion 2: Snow Leopard, Female - Battle - Boosted
Mutation - Offensive: Cat claws
Mutation - Offensive: Fangs
Skills: Master Fighter & beginner Hunter
Specialty: Weaponsmaster

And the winner is...

SIRIUS

TAMSYN must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Tamsyn: 162.05 (69, 9, 46, 30 - Adjusted to 72.45, 9, 50.6, 30) Sirius: 321.88 (43, 15, 91, 64 - Adjusted to 86, 16.5, 91, 64)

Tamsyn felt his teeth catch her leg as she was trying to dart away and it tripped her up, causing the smaller woman to slip and fall to the ground. It didn't cause her any pain or injure her considering the soft sand they were currently practicing on, just caught her off guard and made her hit the ground with a soft thud and a huff. She got back to her paws as quickly as she could, but once he began to tell her about how no one left a fight unscathed she decided that was as good a place as any for them to stop. Her mint gaze found his as she turned to face him again. Her brain was already running though everything she had done and how he had responded, trying to pick it apart to figure out how she could be better next time. There was a lot more for her to learn, that was for certain, but she was proud of herself. Learning to fight was something that she had always believed that she would never or could ever do. Now she thought that maybe she might actually have a shot at it. She gave herself a quick shake to get the sand stuck to her side off of her before giving him an understanding nod. "I'll just need to practice a lot more then," she told him with a smile, not discouraged in the slightest. Sirius was a great teacher and she certainly hoped they would be able to do this again.

“A very good start” the Warlord agreed easily, relaxing his stance and giving the warrior in training and approving nod. He closed the distance between them, checking the spot his teeth had grazed her skin with an expert eye. He might not be much of a healer, but he had plenty of experience with battle wounds. “Keep it clean, and get Io to bandage it” he instructed absently, before moving on.

“Training is the key to success. My young children are also in various stages of learning - I’ll appoint Mortis to come down here and train with you, perhaps a pairing will do the both of you some good, and he’s closer to your weight class well he's growing” if only just. His sons were going to be giants.