Sirois had asked her to help train the warriors of the pack. Of them all, the ash and onyx woman had been fighting the longest. Her experiences weren't all sunshine and rainbows either. The blueish scars that littered her body were a testament to that. The largest of which was on the left side of the woman's face. Her eye was completely missing. Slashes of scar tissue went from brow to jaw. Yes, she had seen her share of battle. Pun intended.

Before the sun had even risen, the giant woman was at Malalias door, waking her with a growl of instruction to rise, prepare, and meet her on Sea's Plain. Resin walled for get now, seated on the edge of one stone platform. The tide was out and the damp beach stretched for yards before it met the ocean. The sun was just beginning to Crest the horizon, staining the land with pink and orange. They would have all day to train.

Sirius wasn't the only one with a penchant for beginning the day before the sky had even lightened. Gods, what was with these wolves and early mornings? The girl had been abruptly awaken by Resin for training, and with an inaudible mutter she got herself up and prepared for the coming day. Still, her tail thumped slowly on the floor of her den, heavy with sleep but giddy with excitement to train with the experienced warrior. After a quick bite, she was on her way. Pachou trailed behind her, and the yearling also carried her steel claws in her jaws. She wasn't sure if either would participate in the session, but she brought them along just in case.

Before long she'd hit the sand, and spied Resin across the way. Mal padded up to her with a friendly wave of her tail and a silent nod by way of saying good morning. Once she neared, she placed the weapons next to her. "So what's on the agenda?"

It didn't take terribly long for three young wolf to find her way to the training platform. Curling her neck to the side to look at Malalia with her one good eye, the woman answered in her growling tones. "A lesson, then perhaps a spar if you're willing."

With one scarred paw, Resin motioned for the girl to follow. "I see you've brought your claws. I've brought mine as well." Stopping away the edge of the platform, the woman took up a set of dark leather bracers. Attached to the bottom front were long, steel claws affixed to little leather loops that slid over each type for added dexterity. Seating herself again, Resin took up whetstone, showing it to Malalia. "Do you have one of these? It's important to keep your claws sharp, but not so sharp that they become thin. If the metal is thin, it will snap as easily as slice."

Yessssssssssssssss was the immediate answer in her mind, and though her movements betrayed her excitement, she simply answered, "Absolutely!" She doubted she could best the warrior, in all honestly. Resin was experienced, formidable, and she hadn't missed the Armada woman's ferocity when they battled the wild dogs. But if getting her ass handed to her would make her a better fighter, well...

Her heart beat a touch faster when her teacher presented her own set of sharp claws, attached to leather bracers. Blinking against the growing light, Mal paced forward, a sniff and a look-see over the claws and then, the stone that was brought out shortly afterwards. "I don't," she stated, and not without a touch of sheepishness that leveled her ears. Of course it was important to keep the things in good condition, but somehow she'd missed that step. The world of weapons was new to the young woman, but she was willing to learn. "How do you use it? And how often do I need to sharpen them?"

She appreciated the eagerness that the smaller female showed. Enthusiasm made teaching so much easier. It was very difficult to teach someone that found lessons tiresome and boring. Those were the ones that never learned anything. Or they ended up learning by trial and error.

Malalia admitted that she did not have a whetstone. "You may have this one when we're finished." She could find another. "It's made of very fine, compacted quartz. Before you're ready to soften your blades, you soak the stone in water. Not only does it fill in the pores and help your blade to slide over the surface, but it makes it easier to clean away the leftovers."

Taking up her own claws, she selected one of thre blades, carefully tucking the others away. Holding the blade at just the right angle, the woman applied gentle pressure and slid the blade over the stone. She made several passes on one side, then flipped the blade over and repeated the process on the other side. "You'll learn when your blades need to be sharpened. The more you use them, the more they become a part of you."

Resin handed the whetstone over to Malalia. "Now you try." Black backed ears flicked forward, that single eye locked upon the young warrior.

She gave a small wiggle, grateful to Resin for the gift of the whetstone. That was one thing taken care of. Her ears rotated towards the woman as she explained how to prepare the stone for sharpening her blades, committing the details to memory. She made a note of getting a small bowl later, for storage and for soaking the whetstone when the time came to sharpen her blades.

Mal watched carefully, then, when Resin demonstrated with one of her own claws, sliding the blade over the whetstone with control and precision. She made several passes over each side as the yearling watched. It might not have looked all too different to the naked eye, but she'd bet anything the cut would be sharper, now. Her ears twitched at the woman's explanation of simply knowing when they needed to be sharpened, but she accepted it. She would've liked an exact answer -- she could run with that -- but, some things just came down to experience, the time put in.

Then, the stone was passed over. Mal gripped her own claws, tucking the others back as Resin had done to expose a single blade. She pressed down on the whetstone, finding it to be a bit slippery on the first pass and going a little faster than expected. Brows furrowed, she went again, more carefully this time as she smoothed the blade down the whetstone, with little stops and starts here and there that quickly subsided as she slowly got used to the rhythm. She may have done a few strokes more than necessary, unsure when to stop.

"Like that?" She would check in with the woman before having a go at the rest of the blades; gods knew they hadn't been sharpened since the day she was gifted with them.

With a careful eye, she watched Malalia as she attempted to parrot her movements. Rather than just continue, the young wolf looked up and asked if she had done it well. "Close," Resin growled. Moving behind the smaller fae, Resin extended a foreleg on either side. She held her paws over Malalia's, adjusting them to the proper angle. She then pushed the paw forward in one straight movement. "Be as smooth as you can. The smoother the movement, the sharper and more even your blade will be." Having shown her exactly how to do it, Resin pulled back, giving Malalia her space once more. "Try again."

While she watched Malalia, the ash and onyx woman moved aside, sliding her own recently sharpened bracers onto both forelegs. It was a little time consuming, but she eventually had them strapped in place. The curved steel claw tips rested against the stone platform. The next lesson would be a little more paws on.

Her ears leveled, and she released a soft hum as Resin came around to show her again, using her own paws this time to demonstrate the movement. Mala carefully watched the stroke she'd made, committing the movement, the proper angle to push down and the feel of it, to memory. When Resin told her to try again, she did so. She was even slower the second time around, but she pressed the next blade in a smooth, even pass over the whetstone. Mal would check in with Resin occasionally as she sharpened the rest of the blades one by one, as patiently as she could. She was slow, but the passes were much smoother than her first attempt had been.

As she fitted her bracers, she watched Malalia sharpen her claws. "Nicely done," she praised. It seemed that the demonstration worked. The girl held the blades at the proper angle and slid them along in one smooth swipe. That was exactly what she had been shown. The young woman was a very good student indeed.

Rising, Resin clacked her steel claws against the stone beneath them. "Now that we're sharp. Let's see if you know how to use them. We won't spar yet. Simple a lesson in the usage of your battle gear." Shaking out her coat, she padded to the center of the stone platform. "Explain an initial attack on your opponent with the claws." There were many ways that one could attack. Resin would do her best to broaden the girl's experience using them. It could mean all the difference in an actual battle situation.

Mal grinned, her tail waving softly behind her at the woman's words. The yearling was a sucker for praise, really. Seeing that Resin had put on her bracers, Malalia would tug on her own claws in kind.

Resin stepped up to the platform. Rather than a demonstration, however, she asked her to explain the use of her claws. Hmmmm..... That was new; she'd expected -- wanted, really -- to start off a little more.... hands on. Sirius usually had her attack, and then corrected her movements afterwards, and that's what she was used to. Mal's ears planed, head angled to the left for a moment as she put her attacks into words. "Ummmm.... when I start, I'll usually go for speed, especially if my opponent is bigger than I am. I'll try to run past and catch them in a soft spot like their ankles, or the soft pit behind their forelegs," she explained.

It amused the big woman that her question seemed to throw the girl off. She knew the teaching styles of every single wolf differed from the next. Above all, Resin wanted her pupils to think. Having them put their attacks into words made them truly understand their actions in a way different than simple reflex and repetition.

The one-eyed woman nodded. "A good strategy. Attacking soft spots will cause bleeding and discomfort, but nothing lasting." Rising, Resin moved a few steps back. "If you're facing multiply opponents? What if your attacker is simply too powerful and you need a distraction to flee?" Diving forward, the behemoth swiped her steel claws across the stone platform, sending a shower of sparks shooting forward. She followed suit with the opposite set of claws, sending up a second shower of sparks. "Good to throw even the largest creature off its game. A smart distraction, especially in the dark." Again she stepped back. "Give it a try."

Nothing long lasting.... Nevermind that the woman had said it was a good strategy. Mal's ears flattened, a clash of determination and frustration stirring her at that one sticking point. It seemed that with every teacher she faced, she would have to rework something in her repertoire. With Sirius, it was weapons. With Cairo, it'd been getting in a wolf's guard.

And here, she'd have thought the claws would've helped that hit and run technique, making her blows more meaningful. And it had, in some of her spars -- but it would only go so far, it seemed. There's still so much more to learn...

So, she would learn it all. Ears flitting upwards, the sparks danced in her eyes once, twice with the strike of Resin's claws across the stone platform. The young woman rose. Her eyes trained on the spot that Resin had hit, then floated back up to the woman. Distractions, distractions. Fitting, almost. She was itching to fight, not learn how to flee, but she swallowed down the protest. The young warrior would take anything that the gray woman had to give her.

Malalia darted forward, and swiped her claws hard against the platform, earning nothing but an ear-piercing screech of steel upon stone, and perhaps the faintest smell of smoke -- but, no sparks. She growled lowly, and backed away again to reset. This time, with the opposite paw, she tried again with a lighter, skimming-the-surface movement. Her tail wagged a little as a flurry of bright sparks went up. Not quite the shower that Resin had produced, but hey, it was something.

Malalia followed suit, attempting to produce sparks just as her teacher had. The first strike failed, which wasn't surprising. It was a difficult thing to do, which was why she was teaching it to the girl. Not many others would think to use such a tactic. The second strike did produce sparks. The giant woman grinned, serrated teeth flashing. "Well done. Sparks aren't easy, but they're useful." Coming forward again, she spoke once more. "While your opponent is blinded, it's an ideal time to strike. Be sure to keep your own gaze guarded while you do so or you'll be just as blind."

Narrowing her gaze, Resin sent a sidelong slash at the stone with her claws, bringing the bright white and gold sparks flying through the air. Before her paw even landed back to earth, she was vaulting forward with powerful hind legs, jaws wide as if to sink them into Malalia's face. She stopped short, however, adjusting her course just enough so that she moved to the side rather than straight into her student's body.

Coming back full circle, she motioned for Malalia to come forward. "You try. Don't just repeat what I did, but think of a way to integrate your new knowledge into an attack." She would correct what needed to be corrected, but she wanted Malalia to be creative as well as skilled.

The girl would have to practice to get the blades sparking every time, but it was a start. Mal noted Resin's advice with a simple, "Got it." She hadn't taken care to guard her eyes when she'd made her first attempts, but she'd be sure to do so thereafter.

Sparks flashed bright-white before her eyes, and all at once, Resin was hurtling forward, her jaws snapping for the girl's face. Stumbling backwards, she grunted with surprise, and gave a kind of breathless laugh, tail swinging as her mentor came around again. Jeez, that was close... Even with the surprise of the attack, Resin moved faster than she'd expected. She very well could've torn her face off, if this had been a real battle.

Then it was here turn. How to come at her? Mal took a second to run through a few ideas. The she-wolf began to pace around the woman, lowering her body, looking for an opening. Halfway through the second go-round, the yearling rushed diagonally towards the left, heading for Resin's front half. Her claws struck out across her body, and sent a shower of sparks in that direction, only to duck to the right in the same instance. She would aim for a running blow to Resin's hock, nipping lightly on her path.

She'd pivot back to face her once she was out of range. "How was that?"

Though she'd been expecting the sparks, she didn't know exactly when, so when the blinding flash came, the big woman was still visually impaired. More so than usual, anyway. Instinctively, she squared her body, but made no other move so that Malalia could finish her attack. Feeling the nip to her body brought teeth flashing in a grin. She hadn't expected that. It proved just how distracting the sparks were when used correctly. "Nicely done. I was ready, but I couldn't see you coming. It may seem like nothing but a trick, but something like this could save your life. Or the life of someone under your care." There was nothing unacceptable in the art of true battle.

She felt that Malalia was ready. Giving her thickly furred form a shake, she circled the girl so that they faced one another fully. "Would you like to spar with the claws or would you like to spar without them? We could still act as though we have them, but we wouldn't need to worry about actually harming one another." The choice was up to Malalia. Resin was fine with either, though it would be difficult to keep from harming the girl with her own claws sharpened so well.

That’s true enough.... The concept of fighting with something besides teeth and claws was still a relatively new one for her. She hadn’t been enthused at about learning to use the sparks, at first. But it was becoming clearer how useful the move could be in battle. If she wanted to be the best fighter she could be, she’d have to learn how to utilize everything in her power, no matter how foreign. It was like Resin had said — anything goes.

Still, it didn’t keep her from being a little thrill when they moved onto the sparring part of their lesson. To Resin’s offer, it was no question, and Malalia settled into her defensive stance, laying her ears back. “With the claws, please.” She didn’t necessarily want to get scratched up, but she would want to fight in the closest way to a real battle as possible.

With Malalia choosing to battle with the claws on, Resin gave them a few quick scratches over the rocks, dulling the sharpened tips somewhat. She didn't want to injure her student and she could always sharpen them again later and would definitely do so. She liked to be ready for anything. It wouldn't do to go into battle with dull weapons.

"As you wish," the ash and onyx woman rumbled. As usual, she would not use her teeth. They were too sharp and this was only a spar. In real battle she used them often and with great force. Rolling her shoulders to loosen them, Resin tucked her ears back against her skull. Just as she had prior, one paw lashed forward, sending sparks flying. She lunged through the sparks, head low, in an attempt to get under Malalia. If successful, she would rise up, the top of her head against the girl's chest to push her up and back, out of her space.





Resin Scarpaw vs Malalia for Spar.
Round 1/3
Age: 1+
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Offensive Battle Accessory: Clawed leather bracers
Defensive Battle Accessory: Crocodile armor
Companion 1: Side-striped jackal, Female - Battle
Companion 2: Side-striped jackal, Male - Battle
Mutation 1: Serrated fangs - Offensive
Disability: Partial blindness - Moderate
Skills: Expert Fighter & Advanced Hunter
Specialty: N/A

Seeing Resin dull her claws, Malalia quickly followed suit. It was almost comical how often she would end up parroting the older woman, but it was the best was she knew how to pick up everything she wanted to learn. It was a good starting point, anyway, and what was it they said about imitation and flattery?

Resin sent up the sparks. She didn't know exactly where the warrior would go, and figured the best strategy was to get out of the her range altogether. Her mentor came forward, through the flash of sparks and into open air, as Malalia leaped backwards and to her left, a bit awkward in the movement. Her forepaws slammed down, balancing herself as she attempted to rush forward along Resin's left side and lightly swipe her claws along the woman's ribs as she passed.

Whether she made the hit or not, she'd pivot in an about face, once she was behind Resin, and attempt to latch a hold with her forepaws on Resin's lower back, digging her paws into her hips.

Malalia Fatalis vs Resin for Spar
Round 1/3
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Medium
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Steel claws
Defensive Battle Accessory: Leather armor
Companion 1: Wolverine, Male - Battle
Skills: Intermediate Healer & Expert Fighter
Specialty: N/A

With her attack dodged, Resin decided to keep her momentum going rather than stop and turn. The steel claws of her opponent drifted lightly down her side and the one-eyed woman felt proud of Malalia for landing the mock blow. Since she was still barreling forward, Malalia wouldn't be able to pin her or grab her hips. Running a wide circle, Resin came straight for the girl. As she ran, she raised one paw as though to strike sparks, but pivoted upwards, rising on hind legs. With first one paw then the next, she would aim to tap the left side of Malalia's neck with her paw pads followed by the right side of her face with the other paw's pads. Had they been in an actual fight, landing a blow like that would have been devastating and bloody. The woman was trying to vary her attacks to show what might be done and possibly add some new tricks to the girls repertoire.





Resin Scarpaw vs Malalia for Spar.
Round 2/3
Age: 1+
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Offensive Battle Accessory: Clawed leather bracers
Defensive Battle Accessory: Crocodile armor
Companion 1: Side-striped jackal, Female - Battle
Companion 2: Side-striped jackal, Male - Battle
Mutation 1: Serrated fangs - Offensive
Disability: Partial blindness - Moderate
Skills: Expert Fighter & Advanced Hunter
Specialty: N/A

The girl growled a little in frustration as Resin only moved forward and out of her own range. She needed to be better about following up with her opponent, if she wanted to do keep making that particular move. Her paws landed hard on the floor, and she flattened her ears as she followed Resin's path with her eyes, moving with the woman to keep facing each other.

It would seem, at first, like they had the same idea. Eager to try the sparks, Malalia would swipe her claws against the stone, sending up a shower at the same time that Resin did -- or didn't apparently. Malalia ducked low and narrowed her eyes as she went through the sparks. Since she'd feinted before, she would've aimed straight for Resin's forepaws now, but the barest glance told her that her initial target was gone, and that Resin had thrown herself upwards, onto her hindlegs.

Resin's blows would land lower down her body, along her ribs or haunches as Mal used her speed to her advantage, flying underneath her. She barreled forward, using all her weight to headbutt the woman's belly in an attempt to throw her off balance. Too, her forepaws would strike downward along Resin's back legs, in the hopes that if she didn't topple her completely, she could force her back.

Malalia Fatalis vs Resin for Spar
Round 2/3
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Medium
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Steel claws
Defensive Battle Accessory: Leather armor
Companion 1: Wolverine, Male - Battle
Skills: Intermediate Healer & Expert Fighter
Specialty: N/A