Apparently it was spring time, but the young boy wasn’t so sure, the only real difference in Winter and spring so far had been his last massive growth spurt. Ysmir would never be a giant dire, but he was very nearly as tall as his mother, and he felt no shame in that. By now he was closer to man than he was to boy, and everyday he looked less like a puppy and more like a yearling. Massive cat like paws carried him through the snow as he loped along the border. His head aligned with his spine as he settled into a distance eating pace. Relaxed but ever alert.

Dual toned eyes shifted from side to side as he watched the horizon, and dark ears swiveled for any sound of crunching snow beyond his own four feet. After he was done Ysmir wanted to go on a hunt, and depending on how long that took he’d be able to treat Valkyrie to a fresh diner and then he’d likely sleep for a while. Most of his days were relatively the same, but as time progressed he’d surely gain more responsibilities.

Hopefully. The quiet boy wasn’t sure what his future had in store. He knew his faults and defects were many, and he often wondered where his place would be. The gods surely had a plan, but they were keeping it hidden quite well from Ysmir. The rhythmic beating of his paws kept him from thinking too deeply, and he continued through the snow with his quick pace.

Ásvor hadn't yet gotten to know the youngest of Fireside's members. Though she'd gotten experience raising a son of her own, quite unexpectedly, she wasn't exactly a huge fan of children in general... if she was being perfectly honest. Actually, she wasn't a fan of most wolves, though her fellow Fireside members were an obvious exception. For the well-being of her family she would choose to tolerate even wolves she disliked here, and in her stubborn old age she didn't exactly find a need to break out of her comfort zone and get to know all the wolves within the pack. She did her job here and she did it well, and beyond that she was content with the state of affairs here.

She hadn't meant to stumble into one of Fireside's youngest but she was scouting the borders today and he happened to cross her path. Her movements were slow, finding herself stiff when she first woke in the morning, especially with the never-ending winter. Getting herself moving was about the only thing that helped, and she found herself longing for warmer weather to help ease her ailing joints. The snow crunched beneath her paws as she moved, continuing her trek, veering closer to Ysmir's path. She let out a little bark of greeting as she approached the giant boy in greeting. "Morning. Ysmir, isn't it?" Even if physically she was growing slower and less capable - though she wouldn't let that stop her from participating in raids as much as any younger wolf - her mind was still as sharp as ever. There was little she missed, at least when she cared to pay attention.

Ysmir was a quiet wolf, he didn’t expect most of the pack to go out of their way to know him. He couldn’t even tell them about himself if he tried. There were a select few who could truly interpret his odd half gesture part body language form of communication. His companions were probably the best at this point, and he often deferred to them to relaying what he wished to say. His little arctic fox had already raced ahead of him though. At least she was enjoying the cold weather and snow, her fluffy white coat remained intact much longer than it normally might.

The young gyrfalcon he trained was also trained, but maybe not quite as well versed in the common tongue. She was almost as difficult to understand as her master if you were relying purely on speaking with one another. The trio worked because they were all experts at reading the other two. Ysmir’s ears did indeed work, however and when the pale raptor’s cry reached him he reacted. Listing his head dual toned eyes came to rest on Asvor as she grabbed his attention and made her approach.

Ysmir stood at attention but lowered his head in reverence to his elder and superior. Ysmir lifted his head and nodded, showing she was indeed correct in assuming his name. The young boy offered a polite grin in greeting before lowering his head again. He didn’t want to get in her way, so awaited any instruction she might have for him.

As she grew older Asvor found herself speaking more than when she was young, which was quite peculiar. She'd been an odd child much of the time, keeping to herself; she'd hardly been the most sociable of wolves, perhaps slightly stunted in her communication skills due to being on her own more often than not. In her older age though she found herself speaking more, now comfortable with who she was and where she'd ended up. Not that she was always extremely talkative but she had no issue speaking to those around her, even a boy who didn't seem terribly talkative himself. She didn't get the vibe that he was disinterested in conversing with her. Just quiet or shy, perhaps? She wasn't sure.

"I'm Asvor, if you didn't know," she introduced herself, returning his small grin. "If you're busy feel free to shoo me away. But if not, perhaps a lesson?" Anything to pull her mind away from her creaking joints and how much she longed for warmer weather to come, hopefully sooner rather than later. Helping Fireside's youth learn to be productive pack members appealed to her anyway. She'd gotten more than enough practice of that with Ulfr, might as well apply her knowledge elsewhere. "What are you interested in? Fighting? Herbs? Something else?" She wasn't sure how to cater a healing lesson to a child but she'd have to figure it out if he expressed interest, she supposed.

Ysmir wasn’t particularly well known in the pack, no doubt as Asvor did most already knew his name. Everyone was likely family in some way or another but Asvor was more special. Valkyrie’s family was not as prominent as Chaos’s here in Fireside, so the young Ysmir very much enjoyed Finnvi company when he could. The boy lifted himself proudly as he lowered his haunches to the ground. With another quick nod he affirmed he knew her name, but shook his head no when she worried about what preoccupied him before she approached.

The young boy looked up at her expectantly as she suggested a lesson and his dark tail wagged lightly at his hips in response. Ysmir was always eager and willing to learn. She must have realized his passion because she went on to clarify where his interests might lie. Since he couldn’t very well speak Ysmir found his paws and lowered himself into an obvious fighting stance. Joints bent, ears to his skull, and his lips pulled back into a silent snarl that looked an awful lot like an eager grin.

His silence wouldn't be mistaken for disinterest, at least not to Asvor. She could see a spark of interest in his eyes when she started to speak and offered him a lesson of sorts. She might not be as traditional a teacher as some but she'd lived thus far, so she no doubt had a thing or two she could teach the youngest wolves in Fireside. If they felt so inclined, of course; she was far too old to push such training if they seemed opposed to it. Luckily for them both Ysmir seemed eager to listen to her, crouching down and looking like he was very much ready to strike at any moment.

His enthusiasm was contagious, even earning a small grin from the normally quiet serious Finnvi. "Alright, fighting it is then," she encouraged him with a twist of her head. "Show me what you know. I see you have an idea of how you ought to set your defenses. Good start. Now show me how you think you'd start a fight, if we were fighting." She didn't exactly lower herself into a defensive stance herself but she was alert and hyperfocused on Ysmir and what his next move might be. She didn't like lessons where wolves sat back and listened - she learned best from action and so that was precisely how she'd teach him.

Ysmir was blessed that most everyone was understanding about his silence, he could talk in subdued whispers but that was about all. His aunt didn’t mention his non verbal way of communication and she seemed to decipher him just as easily as one of his siblings might. Asvor even gave him a bright grin as he lowered himself into a more appropriate fighting stance. She praised him lightly, her own demeanor brightening as she challenged him. His defenses were solid, but how was he at offensive attacks? He had been training since he was very young, but he was still very much a novice.

The young boy gave her a quick nod of understanding as he debated his best move. He had a little experience in both hunting and fighting and the boy would have to use both. He really wanted to impress the older woman, his elder, in what he already knew. A deep growl left his throat, the first noise he’d made since she happened upon him. Ysmir took his moment to think and then he attacked. He remembered this move as something Skadi had shown him.

Ysmir wanted to look like he was aiming for Asvor’s right side, but at the very last moment he’d actually aim to sik his long fangs into the hollow of her left elbow.

In a strange way Asvor appreciated his silence. Maybe she could learn a thing or two from the children in this regard; she'd never been much of a talker anyway, at least not when it came to most wolves. Action seemed more powerful to her than words most of the time. He seemed pleased that she was happy to work with him, quickly settling into a fighting stance and listening carefully to what she had to say. She had little to say about his defenses - that was something that would come in time, that he would learn to adapt based on who he was fighting and what sort of attacks he thought they made unleash upon him - but discussing attacks was a good start.

He charged her right side first, but at the last second aimed for the limb opposite. He almost caught her off guard but she dodged away from his attack and toward her right, though not before his elongated fangs skimmed the inside of her elbow. The pain was minor, but still there, and she was pleased he'd managed to strike her at all. She was growing old and her limbs were fatigued, but the surge of adrenaline that rushed through her in the thrill of a fight - even if this one was only for practice - helped ease some of that tiredness. "Very good move. I'm impressed. Those fangs of yours will no doubt prove to be a good weapon for you. Now, what next? Say an opponent dodges an attack like that. Do you try to trick them again?" Asvor shifted into a defensive stance too, eyes narrowed as she watched and waited for his next move.

Ysmir was coming up to a year of age, and he felt like he should have been more advanced than he was. He spent a lot of time on his own, with the gyrfalcon and fox companions he’d found along the way. Being able to train with Asvor was aprivelege he intended on taking full advantage of. He was well aware of the wisdom she possessed over him, and he knew too that he could become better because of what she had to offer to him. Being able to impress her was far more than what he expected, and when he grazed her a strong sense of accomplishment rushed through his young body.

She leapt away from him and Ysmir did the same in the opposite direction. He straightened himself and brought her his full attention. The hint of a proud grin pulled at his lips as she praised his effort. They weren’t finished yet though. She continued to challenge him, prompting his next move after a dodged attack. Ysmir didn’t take any time to think this second attempt. He already challenged his aunt’s wight and height. This attack was full on brute force as he lowered his center of gravity and raced forward with shoulder jutting as he aimed to bowl her over. No tricks, only pure force straight ahead.

She didn't find herself waiting long before he reacted again. He reeled back, looking proud at her praise - though she'd only been stating the truth, not trying to stroke his ego. She didn't mind pointing out good moves when she saw them. After just a moment he charged her, lowering himself and ramming his much heavier weight right into her. She stumbled, making an attempt to hold herself upright, but the force made her legs buckle and she eventually felt herself hit the ground. She made an effort to fall carefully, something she might not do in a real fight, when she'd be focused on trying to keep her defenses set and not showing any vulnerabilities to an enemy. But right now? She was content to not have a bruised ass after this little practice fight.

She pulled herself upright, panting a bit, though she grinned proudly at the boy. "Good. I'd suggest working on fighting that way - with brute strength. Just recognize, the more damage you do to an opponent, the more likely you are to take that same damage in return. It's a tricky balance but I see your size working in your favor." He wasn't so heavy-set that he totally lacked agility either. He had the build of a fighter and she didn't doubt he'd grow to be a great one. "Anything else you'd like to work on?" His silence hadn't gone unnoticed but she'd encourage him to explain himself in whatever way he was able. Words were overrated anyway, at least most of the time.

Ysmir didn’t want to cause his aunt any harm, but he couldn’t help the worrying thought as he rammed into her and she stumbled back onto the ground. The boy leapt away, concern written on his features as he approached much more bashfully. Dark ears perked forward and his dual toned eyes watched her stand without any problem and it was hard for him to miss the proud look in her eye. She gave him more advice then, suggesting that he work on his strength forward approach. He was going to be massive like many wolves in the family. His height was already towering compared to Asvor. Ysmir nodded in understanding as she offered him a few pointers to keep in mind as he made his way into the world of the warrior. There would be his own wounds to see to when his opponent was truly going after him, but his size would be to his advantage.

Asvor went on to ask him if there was anything else he wanted her to assist him with. Ysmir didn’t realize the age his aunt was truly getting to, nor did he notice any kind of decline. He looked up to her as much as the other adults in his life. Ysmir wasn’t sure what else to ask her about, he appreciated the little mock fight beyond words.

The boy shrugged bashfully and lowered himself to the ground in a sphynx like pose. He gestured vaguely, and made himself look like he was eager for any kind of lesson she had to give him. Healing, hunting, crafting, Ysmir didn’t know what to ask about he just enjoyed learning.