Maggot had been looking for Mortis for the afternoon. Well, been keeping an eye out for him. She knew he was important and she didn't want to interrupt any important-people meetings or talks or be disrespectful in any way. Padding around the area the pack usually congregated in, she raised her head from its usually slumped position to carefully glance around. Maggot sat down on her haunches, a small dandelion between her paws. She decided she would sit and wait until she either spotted her friend or got a whiff of him. She lifted her one of her paws to brush gently on the little dandelion. She had planned to give the little flower to him as she had hoped to rekindle their friendship.

The girl felt as though she hadn't put enough effort into their friendship, and she mainly just wanted to check in on him and be his support if he needed her. She raised her head, scanning the area in front of her for a sign of Mortis once more. She was hoping to ask him to teach her a little about protecting herself and fighting. She smiled at the thought, her tail thumping the ground softly. She again affectionately brushed the dandelion with one of her paws, content to wait for her friend until it was time for her to sleep.

Mortis yawned widely as he came off patrol. Popping into the communal space, he grabbed a bite to eat from the cellar. Carrying the rabbit in his maw, he made his way down to the beach. Knowing the evening sun would bring a wonderful view at this time of day. When the ground beneath him changed from grass to sand, he would head past the barracks and towards the training rings where many of the pack spent their time.

There was still no sign of Malalia, but he had been told, very strictly, to return to his duties in the pack. His searching had proved fruitless thus far, but his head and heart were still in the wilds, wondering where she was, instead of the pack.

He almost tripped over a small form lying on the white sand, and startled, then grinned, as he recognised little Maggy. “Hey Maggy! Sorry, didn’t see you there” he said, brushing aside his sadness in order to smile at his friend.

Mags' body jostled as she rose from her sprawled position to greet her friend. She smiled widely, a little embarrassed she hadn't spotted him approach. She was supposed to be looking for him, not the other way around. She glanced at the rabbits Mortis had, assuming he was planning on eating them. Perhaps she would suggest the idea of him teaching her tricks, but not necessarily today. It was a little late, and he seemed a bit tired to her.

"Mortis! I was looking for you, actually. Rather glad you found me, even if by accident. I guess I wasn't paying attention either, " she sheepishly greeted him, the excitement in her tone never leaving. She peered up at him as she shifted so she was standing, her soft grin remaining.

Shyly looking away, Mags tail lashed behind her as she decided that she would ask Mortis about her idea before she got too excited. She knew he must be very busy, especially with an almost-relative going missing.

"Uhm, Mortis," she began softly," I was wondering if you could help me learn some tricks on self-defense or fighting? I mean you don't have to do it today, becauseiknowyourebusyandIdon'twanttostressyouout," she breathed out, her words almost jumbling together as she grew closer to the end. She stared down at her paws, a little embarrassed she sounded so childish when she was older.

His tail wiggled a warm greeting to the girl. Even his worry over Malalia couldn’t keep him from ensuring others were happy. “Then it seems we found each other” he teased, wondering why she had been looking for him. He had allowed himself to get caught up in searching for Mal, and running border patrols, and training. He hadn’t spent much time with Maggot recently, and he regretted that now, looking into her earnest, shy smile.

He wasn’t kept in the dark long, and he reached over and nudged her cheek with his nose at her cautious words. “That’s a great idea. Every wolf in the Armada needs to know self defence. We can go over the basics right now if you're free?” he ventured, eyes darting to the rabbit in a thoughtful frown. “Think you can help me eat this first?”

Mags grinned ear to ear, her gaze radiating friendly affection. Oh, she hoped nothing ever happened to this kid, he was just so wonderful. She nodded enthusiastically, her rump wiggling as her tail wagged. Mags paused as he offered some of the rabbit and she glanced between him and his meal a few times. She was a bit hungry, but she was already nervous to be training with someone like Mortis, so she figured it'd be better to eat after, in case she got so nervous some rabbit decided to come up.

"Mortis," she began, a playful grin on her maw," you are very big, you need a good meal! I can just absorb energy from the sun, I'm so small. Besides, I might get sick cause of my nerves," she replied honestly. She felt comfortable with him almost immediately, his familiarity putting her at ease. It was wolves like him and his father then made her want to be strong in the first place. She was forever grateful she found her home here.

He frowned and gently placed a wing over her in comfort. ‘Nothing to be nervous about, we can take this training at your own pace” he promised her. But, at her insistence, he did chow down on the rabbit. He was a rather large wolf, and it wasn’t a great deal of meat. Once he had eaten every morsel, he buried the remains in the territory nearby so not to attract scavengers. The pack had issues with coyotes enough as it was.

He gave his muzzle a quick clean, and turned his attention back to Maggot, shaking out his wings. “Alright, what do you know about defensives?” he asked the other wolf. He would probably have to start from the beginning. He wondered how hard it would be to teach the basics.

Maggot was instantly calmed by Mortis' soft wings, her soft smile returning full force. She nodded appreciatively towards him, her tail wagging softly. As Mortis began to tear into his meal, the girl sat down, a peaceful expression overtaking her timid smile. Upon the sound of feathers rustling, her head turned to face Mortis, eyes instantly drawn to his bird-parts. She would never get over them.

She blinked at him for a moment. Defensives..? What..? Was this a new language used for fighting. A puzzled expression crossed her face as she questioned," I'm sorry, a what?" The girl was confused, she had no clue there was anything more to fighting than, well, fighting.

The young boy grinned back at Maggot as her features softened into a smile once more. He wanted to give her as much encouragement and support as he could. She needed some strengthening, but too much at once would just scare her off again.

He frowned thoughtfully at her question, and then laughed gently, shaking off any trepidation and uncertainty with a supportive smile. “Alright, let's start with the very basics. In a fight, people are going to want to go for the bits easiest to hurt. You want to protect them as best as you can. Let’s start with balance, spread out your paws until they feel comfortable and secure. Bend your knees slightly, dig your toes into the ground. Do that, and then we’ll move on to the next bits” he suggested, watching to see what she did.