Today had already been wonderfully, fantastically eventful. Halo was settling in well here. With Idalia’s help she’d chosen a plot in the garden, one that would get partial sun and shade depending on the time of day, with a corner that stayed shaded all day long. They’d also made quick work of choosing a site for her den. That, and the girl had been nice company. For the first time in what felt like a long time, Halo felt seen among the Armada. She could only hope that the rest of her packmates were so kind. Halo had taken a quick nap before the excitement that would come later. The Warlord himself had said that he’d teach her how to defend herself in the evening, and that time was closing in. Halo departed her new den early, for fear of getting lost and being late. At this point, her biggest worry was disappointing Sirius. It was that worry that left her arriving early, and laughably so. Instead of evening it was more like late afternoon when Halo approached the obelisk. She would take her time to read over the laws of the land once more, continuing to commit them to memory.

The Warlord found the new healer at the Obelisk, carefully looking through the information there. That boded well. He’d had wolves break his laws before, and it seemed Halo was determined not to be one to repeat the mishaps of others. “Good afternoon, Halo” he said, stepping up quietly behind her.

He shook out his coat, stifling a yawn. The Warlord's days started early, and ended late. The bony form of his distant wife, and the nightmares that awaited his sleeping hours ensured he kept himself busy, but the tiredness struck him when he wasn’t looking.

He shook it off, and smiled at the small healer. “Have you been down to our ocean territory yet? We do most of our warrior training there” he explained, gesturing with a paw for her to follow him.

"Speech"

On time was early. Early was best, and Halo was simply doing her best. As the Warlord approached her, the girl turned her gaze to him. "Good afternoon," her voice came quietly, the same tone as the soft ringing of a bell. Her tail wagged at her haunches, and she was happy to see him. She'd started to set up her garden, and begun settling in properly. Halo wanted to show him when it was done, and when she could be proud of the space. Busy. Busy was good. Halo preferred busy, because it kept the grey from creeping in around the edges. On careful paws, Halo padded alongside the Warlord. "I haven't been over yet, but Idalia told me that you smoke the meats over there too," she felt safer beside him. Sirius was an imposing figure, and towered over the girl where she walked. "How was your day?" It seemed like the question to ask. Maybe she'd get to know him better in the process.

She was quick to join him, and the pair padded down to the beach. The way used so often, it was worn in the tall grass. He chuckled at the mention of the smokehouse. It seemed Halo didn’t miss a beat at all. “I do. Needed a way to preserve meat over winter” he explained, happy to fill in the silence with his words as the grass became grainy beneath their paws, and then the bank where grass his sand was beneath their paws. He lingered on the precipice for a moment, looking out at the sandy beach. The ocean held the heavy frames of cypress trees, and the large barracks building. Littered in front of it were well-used dummies, and to the side were training rings. Carefully measured out with rope that snapped lightly in the sea breeze.

He took in a deep breath of the ocean air. He had spent much of his older years training in this territory. “It was good,” he answered in response to her question, heading down the beach. “I caught up with one of my daughters - she wants to be a healer too. I’ve instructed her to build a healers plot beside yours. Perhaps the two of you can learn from each other” he suggested as he led them towards the training rings.


"Speech"

Quick to join him, quick to move at his side. Halo felt as if she needed to take two steps for every one the man took. He was so much faster, longer in the legs. “Would you let me maybe dry some of my herbs in there to keep over the winter?” Though it was a ways off, it seemed that in a stationary pack they liked to be prepared. Halo would need to prepare too, and be ready when it started to be get cold and snowy. “What’s the weather like here in the winters?” Her head canted to the side, moving towards the sandy beach. He spoke of his day, and meeting with one of his daughters. Another healer, and she’d be setting her plot next to Halo’s. A light picked up in her eyes, shining softly. “That sounds wonderful,” the words were soft, doing her best to keep up with Sirius as they plodded onwards. It was into one of the training rings that Halo crossed excitedly, looking up to the Warlord. Her gaze was soft, expectant. She would learn.

“That’s an excellent idea, Halo. We can set something up as soon as you have some herbs ready” he promised her. Perhaps he could look at building her another smokehouse near her garden? He could clear a patch of earth and layer it with sand to ensure it wasn’t a fire hazard… a part of him was already taking to the challenge of designing it as he led her towards the ring.

“We get a few light coatings of snow, but nothing like the Northern territories.” He explained in answer to her question. Enough for the frost to cause an issue with the herbs. Perhaps they could rebuild Indigo’s hot house too? He’d been saying recently how he hadn’t been paying enough mind to the needs of the healers in his pack. Perhaps Halo’s arrival would be the perfect chance to start making a few changes.

They arrived at the training ring and stepped over the border markings. Once they stood across from each other, he studied her for a moment critically. “Let's start with what you know. Do you know how to protect your weak points in a fight?”

"Speech"

The Warlord's praise was something that made her stand up a little straighter. He was so gentle with her, and Halo was grateful for that. There were no words to voice just how much she found herself already at ease in this place. "Thank you," she felt small here, but also comfortable. She would be useful, and she would be able to make a difference-- she hoped. Maybe she really could make a difference for the Armada, and help them in whatever they needed. Meeting the needs of her new pack was already the foremost thing in her mind. If they had snow, they'd also get a hard frost. The ground would freeze, and she would need to have enough herbs stored for the winter. With her parent's nomadic band, it seemed that they spent three seasons a year preparing to just survive the winter, and all of their time and energy and effort went into that. Maybe with the cellars here, the store room well kept and well stocked as she'd seen this morning, things were less stressful. As they crossed into the ring, Halo settled across from Sirius. She was careful to evenly distribute her weight on her paws, growing more aware of how she stood. When his question came, she thought for a moment. "I need to keep my chin sort of tucked to not expose my throat," the tenderhearted creature demonstrated, ensuring that her throat was carefully guarded. "But that's really all," she was sheepish, looking up to Sirius. After she spoke she relaxed for a moment, trying to steady her breath to a degree. Did she look dumb? How had she gotten this far, just running away from threats. When it came to fight or flight, Halo had been far more likely to flee. Still, learning to hold her ground was important. She was going to make the Warlord proud.

The Warlord kept an eye on her as she distributed her weight and admitted to knowing how to protect her neck. Seer nodded, stepping closer to her. She wasn’t a fighter, he knew that already. So it was no surprise that he would be starting from scratch. Well, the Warlord did love to teach. A smile peeked through his thoughtful expression and he tapped her shoulder with a paw. “Bunch your shoulders as well, it shifts your scruff around your neck and makes your vital points harder to reach” he circled around her once, stopping at her side. “Spread your paws a little more, dig your toes into the sand. You want as much purchase as you can get” he advised.

“Fold your ears in, and narrow your eyes. You don’t want to offer your opponent an easy target” he waited to see if she would comply with those changes, studying her careful so he could help correct her stance with a touch of his paw if needed.


"Speech"

At least there was something Halo knew. She took up the stance that the Warlord had requested, bunching her shoulders and feeling her scruff scrunching down towards her neck. Halo's thick coat seemed to be a good thing here, leaving her look maybe a bit more intimidating... but not by much. Her silhouette tended to read more silly and fluffy than intimidating. As Sirius made his way around her, Halo resisted the urge to turn around and look. The idea that someone was behind her made the girl a little bit tense, even if it was someone she trusted. There was the digging of claws into the soft earth as well, sinking in over her small paws. As Halo attempted to fold her ears in, it was clear that she had better control over one than the other. Her left ear still flopped a bit haphazardly, and she scowled for a moment as she could feel it doing a bit more of... well, doing its own thing. She looked sheepishly, apologetically to Sirius-- "Sorry." It had been a too-hard chomp from one of her sisters when they were yearlings, and it had never healed right, getting infected time and time again. From her sheepish expression, she narrowed her eyes intently. The girl's body was tense, like a spring ready to uncoil. "Like this?" It felt strange and a little silly, like she was wearing someone else's expression entirely. "I feel like I'm having a hard time keeping my balance," she was thinking aloud, tone thoughtful instead of complaining. Would confidence in this posture come in time? Halo could hope.

He scrutinised her, eyes serious as he assessed her new stance as she began to complete his request. Bunching her shoulders, digging in her small claws. He finished a loop of her and stood at her forefront again. Looking at the tiny, pale, healer. Standing tall at half his height, her eyes intent on him as she did her best to look fierce and prepared.

…and then she attempted to fold in her ears, and one little white ear refused to bend to her will. She scowled fiercely, as though she could intimidate it into folding, and then gave up. Giving him a sheepish expression. The towering, fierce Warlord laughed softly. Feeling an immense swell of emotion for his young little healer. He reached forward and ruffled the fur between her ears, much as he did to his own children. “Well, that’s okay. We don’t win every battle” he teased.

“If the pose feels unnatural to you, step out of it, and then back in, out, and in. It's almost all about muscle memory. You’ll wear a path until it feels like second nature” he explained encouragingly.


"Speech"

Fake it until you make it, right? Halo could attempt and pretend that she was fierce and prepared. Martial arts hadn't ever been on the list of things to learn, the list of things to grasp. Now was a good time to learn. She'd fit in, and she'd take her training seriously. Really, Halo didn't want the Warlord to think of her as her parents had. The girl had been a burden to them. She'd been in the way. She'd been, likely, a mistake. The girl that didn't turn out quite right, so they felt okay about casting her out into the world on her own-- sink or swim. It was ever so clear that they didn't care which. No, Halo would show Sirius that he'd made the right choice taking her into the Armada, and that she could belong here in time. His laugh was gentle, soft humor. No malice. It was soft, as was his paw on her head. The warmth in the gesture made Halo smile as she looked up to the man. Gratitude rang through her soft lavender gaze, and she had to smile. For a man who was called the Warlord, he was far more kind and gentle than Halo could have ever anticipated. Muscle memory. She could do that. For a moment, Halo stepped out of the stance, uncurling her claws from the ground and stretching out. From there she stepped back in-- shoulders pressed forward, claws dug into the soft earth, face pulled into a fierce expression. Throat protected, paws apart, right. She could do this. Stepping out once more, and then back in, Halo looked up to the dark man before her. "What do I do with my tail?" Out of position, and then back in once more, and the pale girl was starting to learn how she needed to distribute her weight to feel a bit less imbalanced. Her tail seemed like an easy target though, and Halo had to worry.

She stepped in and out a few times. It was clear she had a good memory, and kept track of everything he had asked of her. He nodded once, pleased, as she stepped back into position again. She asked after her tail, and he glanced at the appendage in question. “You can flare it behind you for balance, or tuck it to limit what others can grab.” He explained. Tat one depended what motions you were making at the time.

“Alright, the best way to consider how others might come at you, is to try it out for yourself” he explained. He let his body settle into his own fighting stance. His legs spread, toes clenching, and any loose parts tucking down. He nodded at her once. “Think about how you would attack me, and do it” He instructed

"Speech"

A quick study, if the teacher was right. Halo could at least have that to be confident in, and it was clear that the Warlord had done his fair share of teaching in his days. Softly, the girl peered up at him. He really was tall, and she could tell that even more clearly from where she stood. Right, for balance. Halo could use all the balance help she could get. Carefully, she allowed it to flag behind her, offering a counter to the awkwardness to the way she felt her feet planted. "That helps," the words were partially to herself, and partially to Sirius. They were quiet, and she was careful to keep herself tense and on guard. Watching the man take up a posture of his own, Halo felt small-- smaller than usual. He was hulking and looked so confident in how he carried himself. The tenderhearted girl's lavender eyes went wide at his directive. The Warlord wanted her to hit him. It made sense for the sake of learning, but it also felt a bit wrong. Attacking a friend... but also, he was their leader, and he'd given a directive, and it was for the sake of training. Halo wouldn't question him, fixing her face and stance before sizing him up. "I want to avoid your teeth, and not get stabbed," Halo thought aloud for a moment before nodding once more. Transitioning from swiftness to motion as fluidly as she could, the girl lunged for the Warlord's armpit. It seemed like a safe enough place to strike for, something she could reach on the much larger man, and a tender enough point of contact. Still, should she make contact, it would be clear that Halo was terrified of causing any damage whatsoever.

The Warlord chuckled softly at her words. “That would be a good start” the old wolf agreed. For the sake of the lesson, the Warlord moved slowly and carefully. Giving her a chance to see how one might defend against her attack, without throwing her off balance too much.

He waited, holding his ready stance until she was in close. The smaller wolf went for an attack under his arm, going for his armpit. He allowed her to land the soft hit, and aimed to wrap a paw gently around her. Twisting his leg as he did so, so that his hidden knife popped out. His aim was to lay it against her scruff with barely enough pressure to ruffle her fur. “A good start. For someone your size, I would recommend an in-and-out tactic, or harrying. Wear your opponent down while getting in as many attacks as you can” he explained. “That’s if you wanted to win a fight. But for self defence, I would recommend an injury to your opponents leg and scampering. For now, consider how you would get out if someone was holding you like this” he instructed next.

"Speech"

A good start, at least she was on the right track. Halo moved awkwardly, but she was thankful that Sirius was humoring her as she learned. It was clear that the pups here had a good teacher in the Warlord himself. He was gentle in the way that he defended against the healer's cautious attack.

At the sight and sound of the knife, Halo's eyes went wide. A feat of engineering, and one that she hadn't been anticipating. Holy cow. Still, there was barely any pressure on the tenderhearted creature, and for that she was glad. Harrying, the term comes... it makes sense. Weaving in and out of combat, not getting caught as she was in her current spot. There was also the question of wounding someone enough, especially in the legs, so she could run off. That was something Halo figured she could absolutely handle.

Consider how you would get out if someone was holding you like this, his instruction came. Halo thought for a moment, considering the blade at her scruff. The moment stretches longer than she would have liked, when the pale girl realizes something. Her legs aren't restricted. Still, the idea made her wince, and she would explain her thought before actually acting on it. "I could, theoretically, um... kick you in the nuts?" It wouldn't apply pressure to her neck against the blade, and would likely cause enough of a distraction to get her free. "Sorry," it was a preemptive apology. Was a kick in the crotch considered fighting improperly? Or impolitely? It certainly felt impolite, but self defense was self defense.

"Halo"