Naiche had left Sirius with his mind buzzing on how he should teach Tamsyn on fighting.  Teaching one how to fight was always in his mind but what about the experienced fightings? What about those who were just as good or better than he was?  Could he still train and help them improve their skills?  How to help teach those of your own level in fashion besides just fighting? Naiche patrolled part of the northern border while he thought.  It was painfully cold but he needed to move to help clear his thoughts.  His mind roamed to the time Tamsyn had given a lesson to both Naiche and several wolves in the pack.  That lesson had been on training in different terrains.  He recalled Asla giving a lesson on hunting and specifying details on the piglet she had caught ahead of time. So teaching could be more refined to target specified areas and planning ahead of the time with a setup could make the lesson better as well.  Naiche worked on figuring out something that could be useful to Tamsyn and finally he came up with an idea.  Naiche ran back to his cave and ended up in a one-sided conversation with Pan.  The pangolin watched as Naiche explained what he was doing and apologizing he hadn’t gone to pick the pangolin up earlier.  Poor guy didn’t appreciate Naiche not telling him about their new den site. With enough apologizing he got Pan to help on a fast project for the training he would set up for Tamsyn.  They got to where the exercise ring and Naiche put their prop near one of the training dummies.  The prop was a fur rolled up and tied taut.  Dried mud made two eyes and mouth with two triangular sticks poking out for ears.  It was their best version of a fake pup.  Pan found a spot close to the water and did some fast digging till he had a nice hidey-hole in the sand.  The stage was set.  Now naiche only had to wait for Tamsyn to explain this game.  He sat next to the prop puppy.  He sure hoped this game worked right. "Speech"

To say that she was surprised when she saw Marshal swooping toward her would be an understatement. She hadn't seen Sirius' companion in so long that she didn't realize it was him at first, but as soon as she realized it was Marshal and heard that her old friend had sent for her she couldn't be more thrilled to make the quick trip back up to The Armada's lands. It had been far too long since she had visited her old home. The last time she had seen any of them it had been when her pups were tiny little things. They were growing so, so fast and it felt like if she blinked she was going to look at them again and they'd be full grown adults. She had been tempted to bring one of them with her on the trip, but with as bad as the weather was, she decided it wasn't the best idea. Besides, it sounded like her visit would be for some important business so there was no need to let herself be distracted.

After Sirius filled her in on why she had been summoned she couldn't help but grin with a bit of amusement and a whole lot of pride. She still remembered that first patrol that she had done with Naiche when she first met the golden young man and to think that he was now working to go into the position she once held... it felt like a very full circle moment. Without question she went looking for Naiche and eventually found him at the Sea's Plain next to some sort of contraption that he had clearly been working on shortly before she arrived. With a grin the Seraph trotted over to him and gave his shoulder a friendly nudge with her head. "It's good to see you again, Naiche," she told him before turning her mint gaze toward the dummy he had assembled with a curious tilt of her head. "What have you schemed up for me today?"

"Tamsyn" | "Blue" | think

Naiche perked up a bit on spying Tamsyn.  She had been one of the first wolves he’d met at the Armada and he had enjoyed both training with her for fighting as well as getting to spend time with her through patrols or traveling down to auster that one time.  Inwardly Naiche reminded himself he could pull this off, he would help his teacher grow more skilled.  It was his day to step up and teach.  The young gold wolf was wearing a polar bear cloak and had a fresh muzzle wound that would surely leave a beautiful scar.   Naiche’s tail swished happily and returned a head bump to her own shoulder, eyes alit.  “Missed having you here Tamsyn, glad you could come to visit.”  That was it for now with the pleasantries though.  There were things he was thinking of chatting with her about but working came first.  He put a paw gently down on the rolled-up fur, “You can’t tell?” Naiche mused with a bit of humor, “This is a puppy, and today this is going to be your pup that you are trying to protect from a truly dangerous adversary.” Naiche removed the paw to put more focus on Tamsyn, “You already know fighting basics and a lot of details past the basics so I figured we needed to hone in one detail for you.  Since your now a proud mom and since now, there are pups running around here also, guarding someone not yet ready to protect themselves seemed a good lesson.  Just try to imagine it really is your pup to make it as real as possible.” Naiche stepped away from the rolled-up decorated fur, walked around so that Tam was in between him and it. “So, can you both fend me off, and be aware of the pup behind you?  If you focus too much on me something else might happen to it.  Don’t focus on me and something could happen to you and then it.” Naiche’s shoulders still actually hurt from where Asla had sunk her claws more than once, and his muzzle hated the cold that pressed against the cold flesh but this wasn’t a fight for rank, just a training session.  While he loved violence hopefully Tamsyn wouldn’t aim any hard attacks at the muzzle and anything else could probably be ignored. "Speech"

Once Naiche explained that it was a pup, she could kind of see it - if she squinted and tilted her head a bit that is. She chuckled softly at the thought before refocusing her attention on her teacher for the day as he explained that this was going to be a stand in for her own pup that she'd need to protect. She gave him an intrigued look at the idea and had to admit that she was impressed with his ingenuity and how he had found a motivator for their lesson. When Sirius had proposed the idea to her she had been curious to see what Naiche would come up with to give her a lesson on. She never claimed to be the most skilled or experienced fighter out there, but she certainly had gone through some pretty rigorous training and was confident in her skills at the very least. It was easy to teach a novice - teaching someone as experienced as she was would be more of a challenge.

As he further explained the premise of his lesson she nodded with understanding and silently vowed to not think of the rediclous little pup dummy as funny any more - instead imagining it was her little Gwynevere since the aspiring healer was arguably the most vulnerable of her children. Despite her best efforts Gwyn was one of the only ones that had shown absolutely no interest in learning how to fight or protect herself in any way. She squared off with Naiche when he moved away from her and put her between himself and the pretend Gwynevere. She smirked a little and replied, "This is a good game you've thought up," she admitted, though she didn't want to compliment him too much right off the bat. Tamsyn settled into her familiar and comfortable defensive stance, though this time around she made sure to keep an ear turned back toward the "pup" to listen just in cause Naiche had something up his sleeve. "Alright, just try to get past a protective mother then."

"Tamsyn" | "Blue" | think

The fact Tamsyn seemed interested in his game was an inner relief.  Sirius was off to a side watching also now Naiche noticed.  His little training skit was so specific and with the little prop that had at one point seemed really clever could look less impressive when those with more experience are the ones deciding it.  At her approval of the game, he couldn’t help the smile but it flashed away fast enough for a more serious look.   Time to fight! Fighting Tamsyn already had his adrenaline running up him.  Naiche had to remind himself to not look where Pan was and put all his attention on Tamsyn.  Actually, his eyes flicked to the pup and then Tam with a bit of a grin, “Mom’s got a few years on her, and a long trip.  She might be slower.” Naiche wasn’t waiting for more words, the golden wolf charged towards Tamsyn, doing his best to appear he had intended to attack but he would pivot wide and try to come back in for the fake pup.  Naiche had no expectation she’d let him make it that easy, but he would play the game.  Naiche wasn’t after Tam, he was after her kid.  There was no friendliness on Naiche’s features now, he looked very much as one who desired to kill. "Speech"

Tamsyn shot Naiche a playful glare and a grin at his comments about her age and the trip she had just taken perhaps slowing her down, rolling her shoulders and settling more into her crouched stance in response. Of course there was some truth to that - as much as she didn't want to acknowledge it. She did still keep up with her regular patrols and occasional training now that the pups were old enough to be on their own for a good length of time, but she couldn't ignore the fact that she hadn't been in a real fight since they were born. The last training session that Resin had held for all the fighters in The Hallows had happened during her pregnancy so she hadn't even been able to take part in that one either. There would certainly be a bit of rust to shake off, but this wasn't really about proving she could beat him, was it? This was Naiche's challenge - not her's.

As soon as her friend began to move, she was laser focused on him and her white-outlined eyes tracked him closely so he never left her line of sight. She had a feeling that he wouldn't come for her head on so she kept a looseness in her stance and as soon as he started to go off to one side she darted around where her "Gwyn" was placed to block him at the pass. There was one momentary slip of her paws on the sand as she readjusted herself to the formerly familiar terrain, but it wasn't enough of a slip to keep her from staying between him and the pretend pup. She tried to keep herself positioned with her left side to the pup and her right side to Naiche, thinking that it would be easier to pivot to block another attacker if someone - or something - else tried to come for the "pup" she was protecting from the other side if she didn't have her back to the pup. Whenever Naiche would try to get past her to the pup she would shove him with her shoulder or snap at his cheek with a threatening growl. Since it was an exercise and a lesson instead of a real situation she didn't want to send him away with any real wounds, but wanted to prove a point in the fact that she could if it was necessary.

"Tamsyn" | "Blue" | think

Tamsyn had predicted what he’d be aiming for which really didn’t surprise Naiche.  It still worked to his advantage.  He had her facing away from Pan’s hiding spot.  Now all he had to do was keep her attention focused on him.  This was like all those fights against the bears where it was just a matter of keeping the enemy in the middle.  For the moment it was his turn to be the decoy getting the attention.   Naiche tried to get around Tamsyn and would fail with her mock attacks.  He had to admit it in this case he was glad she opted for not playing rough.  He needed to not give Tamsyn a chance to focus elsewhere.  Naiche stepped towards her side but instead of trying to get by again, he aimed a low bite at her leg, nothing to hard as he chose to play the game with equal strength she was putting into it.  Of course whether or not that bite connected he would again try to swing around.  All about her attention on him. Meanwhile a certain pangolin crept out from around his hiding place in the sand.  He watched as the two wolves focused on one another and then hurried towards the ‘pup’, his little hands curled to his chest and back hunched over.  Unless Tamsyn was keeping an eye on the pup he would be able to grab and attempt to flee!   "Speech"

Naiche was certainly keeping her on her toes, that was for sure! If nothing else it was giving her a good work out having to dodge back and forth to match with the weaving he was doing to try and get around her. She had to duck out of the way of a few of his attacks like the bite he aimed toward her leg, but whenever she would pull the limb out of the way she would fake a bite toward his ears in return - a threat of what could have been if her children were actually on the line. She was happy that her wiry muscles hadn't left her during the time she had taken to raise the pups, even though she could definitely tell that her stamina wasn't quite as high as it once had been. It was serving as a reminder to get back to her training sooner rather than later.

She kept waiting to see what the trick was going to be or if his whole plan was just to wear her down - which he probably would do if given enough time - when she made a quick glance back at the "pup" between Naiche's attacks and spotted his scaled companion making a break for it. A grin flashed across her face at the sight, but then she remembered that he still represented a threat that she needed to address to protect "Gwyn". She refocused on Naiche just long enough to let him get close again and then attempt to give a fairly hard shove with her shoulder into his before pivoting back to face Pan. She made a quick hop over the "pup" to land on the sand right in front of the pangolin and dipped her head to hook her nose under the little creature, tossing her head to flip him back a couple of feet to land on some of the soft sand behind him. Spinning back toward Naiche, she stepped over the fur roll and grinned at him, panting lightly while she braced herself for his next move.

"Tamsyn" | "Blue" | think

The shoulders connected and Naiche was indeed push back a few strides, teeth grinding.  She had to go for the shoulder.  Even as he lunged back towards her Naiche felt a grim smile as Tamsyn had spotted and sent poor Pan flying.  Tamsyn had basically beaten the key point of the training in spotting Pan, so the last detail was to see if she could refocus on Naiche fast enough that he didn’t get past her guard. When Pan had seen the flip coming the little Pangolin had been good enough to again tuck his claws inwards.  Fight or not he had no desire to use those sharp front claws to accidentally dig into a friend.  While the little guy would defend his friend if ever needed he was a soft-hearted little one with no desire to harm anyone.  As he had felt Tamsyn’s nose connect the pangolin had already started to curl up on itself so that when he landed it was in the shape of a scaley ball. The shoulder was already upset so no reason not to put it through just a bit more right?  Naiche generally kept to fast biting attacks and trying to get around his enemy but Tamsyn had already proved she could keep up with that.  Naiche made another faint attempt to get around her before stepping in to shove his own shoulder into her.  That smarted for Naiche’s shoulder but if he got around it was worth it.  This was really training for her but that didn’t mean Naiche didn’t savor the idea of winning in any type of challenge.  After the attempt to slam into her shoulder he’d try to get around her one last time to attempt to steal her fake pup.   "Naiche"

Just a moment after she turned to face Naiche again, she saw him lunging toward her so she braced herself for the impact as he hit his shoulder into hers. It made her take a side step as she absorbed the hit, but quickly regained her balance in time to see him going toward the pretend pup again. With a growl she leapt toward him again with his teeth moments away from closing around the roll of fur. It was far too close for her liking and she threw herself at him to knock him away from his price, hopping back onto her hind legs while attempting to wrap her forelegs around his neck and use the momentum to push him to the ground.

The move brought them both tumbling into the sand and she ended up rolling over him and flopping onto her back with an audible "oof!". She blinked up at the sky for a moment to get her bearings before rolling back onto her paws with a slightly breathless chuckle, turning to face Naiche once she had shaken the sand out of her fur. "Well?" She asked with a grin, trotting back over to her "pup" to examine it and make sure that it hadn't taken any damage from either him or from her jumping over it a couple of times. "Did I pass, teacher?" She wore an amused smirk as she looked up at him again and sat on her haunches next to her Gwyn stand in.

"Tamsyn" | "Blue" | think

Naiche was actually going to get it! His mouth reached out to get the fake-pup when suddenly Tamsyn shoved him away.  He had mocked her for potentially slowing her down and yet it was only a breath later that she’d managed to wrap around him and they both ended up rolling on the ground.  Damn, maybe he’d skip patrolling today after all.  Asla had worked him over well enough yesterday, this was all icing on the cake of soreness.  Once Tamsyn had rolled off Naiche got up, shaking out the sand out of his coat.   Glancing back to Tamsyn at her question Naiche smirked.  Walking over he lowered his head to look at the fake pup, nodding thoughtfully to it as if the fake ball of fur had actually spoken, then up at Tamsyn.  “Well, you didn’t try to reassure the poor thing after the fight but, it seemed impressed with its mom all the same,” the response came with a smirking grin of his own, “Yup, I guess you passed.  After all the pup here is in one piece.  So, would you say this was helpful for you to a degree?”  Naiche was curious about the answer.  Yes, the idea was a test to see if he was good enough to earn general, but it also would help him decide if this sort of training was a route worthy of using for other wolves in the pack.  Not necessarily fake-pups all over but scenario style. After asking Tamsyn he seemed to recall Sirius, glancing over at the warlord also quietly to see if he could read any expression on the warlord's face.   "Speech"

The two fighters would hear a soft clapping sound from the seated Warlord as the fight ended. The ‘pup’ still in one piece, after Tam’s valiant efforts to protect it. It was a unique lesson, and one the Warlord appreciated as a father and protector of his pack. It was versatile, and unique. Showing the Warlord that Naiche could bring something new to the table.

He rose to his paws and padded closer, giving Naiche a nudge. “An interesting lesson indeed. Thank you, Naiche. I’ll come find you in a little bit” it was a dismissal of the poor green wolf as he came up to Tamsyn and kissed her cheek. “It’s good to see you again, old friend. Walk with me?”

(quick exit post) Naiche glanced from Tamsyn to Sirius and offered a grin and nod as Sirius came up close, moving a step away as if to leave but glancing at Tamsyn, “Not sure how long you planned to stay Tamsyn, but when you have time I’d love to see you again before you leave?”  He had asked for her help in advice a time or two before she left, and hopefully he could get it again before she ran off. With that another nod to Sirius that he was leaving before trotting off.  Pride had him trot off as if he felt properly fine, not bothering to walk slower till a bit farther away.  He held back after a distance waiting as Pan headed towards him.  The pangolin stalled looking at their furball pup before leaving it there and doing his best pangolin trot after Naiche. "Speech"

Tamsyn snickered at the feedback she received for not consoling the “pup” after the traumatic incident it just went through. Ah yes, how could she forget to comfort the poor roll of fur? It was a creative and entertaining lesson, she could at least give him that much. She nodded to his question, replying, ”It’s not easy coming up with a lesson that’s challenging for someone as seasoned as I am. You did well and I enjoyed it.” She hoped he would continue to bring that kind of creativity to his new position if Sirius decided that he had earned it.

Speaking of the Warlord, a clapping sound pulled her attention to the large male that had been lingering on the outskirts during their fight. She smiled at Sirius’ small praise for the golden young man and she looked back to Naiche when he asked about seeing her again before she left. ”Of course,” she agreed easily, giving him a curious glance before watching him trot off with Pan following shortly behind.

Her old friend’s kiss made her grin and she looked up at Sirius as her tail wagged gently behind her. ”You know you don’t have to ask,” she replied when he requested that she walk with him, bringing her back to her paws. After a quick shake of her fur, she fell in step beside him as he took the lead and they moved through the familiar territory. ”I’ve missed seeing all of you,” she commented truthfully after a moment. ”The castle has made for a spectacular home, but it’s still strange not having you next door.”

"Tamsyn" | "Blue" | think

The two of them walked together down the beach, and for a moment it felt like old times. The woman he had mentored and taught to fight, and the woman that had taught him a little kindness and patience. One of the wolves he had come to trust, and to love as family. He missed having her here, but he would never say it outloud. She had her pack and her family now. She had found the place she belonged, even if it wasn’t with the Warlord.

“Well, you know you're always welcome here, Tam.” he said, leaning closer to the smaller wolf. “The Armada is still struggling with the power vacuum created by the loss of you and Resin. I think Naiche will do good for the Armada. What do you think? He had a lot to learn, but he’s creative, resourceful, and trains hard.” it was high praise, more than he would tell Naiche to his face.

"I know," she replied genuinely when he mentioned that she was welcomed here, looking up at him with a smile. There was never any doubt of that. The only thing that held her back from making more frequent visits was her pack and family that kept her more than a little busy. Perhaps in the years to come when she and Resin decided to retire she would have more freedom to see her friends more frequently. Until then she'd just have to settle for whatever visits the two of them managed to make to each other's packs on the rare occasion when they could spare the time.

She listened with interest as Sirius described the lack of leadership they had caused and brought up Naiche's potential. She nodded easily in agreement. "Truthfully, I've always had my eye on him. He's a bright kid... Though less of a kid now than when I met him." She chuckled softly with an amused grin before adding, "Yes, I think he'd be a good choice. He's at least willing to learn and if there is anyone that could help shape him into something great it's you." She glanced up at him with a smirk, nudging his shoulder with her own. "If you don't promote him maybe I'll just steal him and take him with me, huh?"

"Tamsyn" | "Blue" | think

”Loyal, too” he added, turning a little towards her to show the edge of his grin. He knew she was teasing him, but he was also certain that it would be harder than she thought to drag the boy off with her. Besides, he was a possessive bastard, and he didn’t give what he loved up easily. It was hard enough, giving up Tamsyn, and Resin. Losing Mal, and the drama that had unfolded with Magnus.

Speaking of.

“Did you hear about Magnus?” he asked her softly, wondering how much gossip might have trickled down to Auster by now. It was possible she knew nothing about it, and he found himself seeking her opinion on the matter. Magnus was family, and he loved the man, but it was hard not to feel frustrated with him.

She chuckled and grinned at his returned teasing. It was nice seeing him in a good mood. It felt like too often she had seen him in some form of stress or seriousness. The only time she could remember seeing him truly, unexplainably happy was when she had come to visit him and his second litter when they were still tiny enough to put up with nicknames like Zeelet.

She was about to ask about his children and how they were doing, but he brought up a different topic before she could. She quirked a curious eyebrow at him as he asked about Magnus and she gave a small shake of her head. With the move to Auster and trying to keep up with pups as they ran around a castle she was very out of the loop with most going ons. Even ones that Resin was in on often escaped her. "What’s happened with Magnus?"

"Tamsyn" | "Blue" | think

He let out a soft sigh, he had hoped she would have some inkling of the situation before he mentioned it. Now he would have to break the news to her, before she could give him her advice. “He took up with Deathbelle-” Did Tam know the full story of himself and Deathbelle? He wasn't sure “-And they are expecting pups. As Deathbelle resides in Habori, it broke the pack laws and divided loyalty. On Top of that, when Asla challenged him for his position - which was stated as challengeable from the start, he refused to accept it. Attempting to give her the rank without a fight, which was not his right to do. Essentially, he stepped down from his position and I ushered him from the pack, and not on good terms. I considered him a brother, and it's a sore point now.” He fell silent, letting Tamsyn digest it all. She knew him better than most, knew the importance of loyalty, and how much it hurt him to let any wolf go. "Speech"

Tamsyn listened intently as Sirius explained the situation and the more he revealed the more flabbergasted she became. She found herself gaping at him in shock toward the end of the tale and blinked as she gave a shake of her head. Being with Deathbelle of all wolves without at least asking for permission, getting her pregnant, refusing a rank challenge, trying to give Aslatiel the position anyway, a position that so many have worked so hard for that he just gave up...

"It makes me wonder what he was even thinking," she commented after a long, thoughtful silence, frowning as she tried to comprehend where his mind would have even been to take him down that path. "Surely it wasn't just wanting to be a father, right? There are plenty of other fish in the sea than Deathbelle... But even if he had his heart set on her - why not address it with you before it got that far? And that whole mess with the challenge..." She shook her head again with a glance up toward him that showed how beyond even her it was. "I've done a lot for love, but to be so... untrustworthy about it - that's the part I don't really understand." She paused a moment before adding, "I don't think I would have done anything differently, if it makes you feel better. I think after all of that it's best to at the very least give both of you some space."

"Tamsyn" | "Blue" | think