In efforts to broaden his horizons Incubus took it upon himself to start offering lessons to the youth of Ashen. Most of his attention had gone to honing his own skills but now as a more seasoned brawler he felt comfortable enough to spread some of that knowledge to others. Having already taken note of some of the younglings that showed interest in the art of war Incubus was ready to give the first lesson a go. He decided to choose a Klein he hadn't much interaction with at all. One of his sisters pups that had taken refuge in Ashen after the fall of Harabi. Incubus was aware of how much trauma the pup had likely experienced so it was evident he'd need to approach the interaction with caution. But, he hoped a lesson would help give the youngster a little bit of a distraction during a scary time.

Incubus selected a clearing near the lake as their classroom for the day. The inky male moved away fallen branches and other debris that may get in the way. They likely weren't going to need much room but terrain can be a lesson for another day. Pale eyes swept across the clearing to ensure he'd gotten everything before allowing his head to tilt upwards. A low yet gentle call filled the air. It was soft enough to only reach the bounds of Ashen's territory. As his head lowered he took in a slightly nervous yet anticipatory breath. This was his first time teaching in a more formal setting.

"Speech"

Life has been strange for the young Enki. Within the first few months of his life, a wolf had risen up and taken his mother’s pack out from under them all. After that, everything had become a blur as the young children escaped with their parents and were forced to keep moving to stay alive. Then the strange statues had appeared and, during a walk with once of Ashen’s now Daimyo’s, the pup had fallen and broken his paw. Kitsune had been unwilling to leave the injured pup alone and, instead, had brought him back to her pack’s lands. Since then, the pup has been hiding out under the umbrella of the Empire, wondering what the hell he is going to do to help his family.

Pink paws pull him slowly along the rocky paths of redwater rocks when a call is softly sung out for him. Panic is the first feeling that slams into the boy, knocking the breath from his lungs as fear slowly sinks its claws into his brain. However, just as quickly as the terror hits, reasoning follows after the initial feeling and wipes away any trace of the fear. Swiftly, the pup traces the paths to where wolfpaw lake is and finds a large, inky male waiting for him in a clearing. Ears slick back as uncertainty creeps into his steps and the boy comes to a stop in front of the male.

Does he know his story? Is he going to hand him over to Medusa? Pushing past the fear, Enki straightens up and softly says, “I am Enki. You, uh, wanted to see me?” The scent of Ashen on his coat is reassuring but the boy has learned to survive by distrusting others. It is a habit he is trying to break but, at times like this, he feels that distrust trying to poke its head out. Squashing the faulty instinct, the pup waits to hear what the man wishes of him.


"Enki Klein"

It was not too long before the slight sounds of pad falls made their way to Inc's ears. The beast perked up and turned in the direction of the sounds. A small grin flicked at his lips as those pale eyes took in the small form of the pup. Enki definitely had the look of Klein with the pale tones and a pink nose. The coloration even reminding him of his littermate, Siren. He couldn't help but to feel relief in that moment, seeing the boy approach, Incubus had been worried if Enki would even show. He wouldn't have blamed him if he hadn't.

The distance between then slowly closed to a polite distance as the youngling stopped in front of Incubus. “I am Enki. You, uh, wanted to see me?” The brute offered a nod with a pleasant smile staining his lips, "Hi there Enki, I am Incubus." A pause. "I'm one of the Ashigaru of Ashen and I summoned you here to offer some training." Pale eyes watched the pup for a moment, hoping he wasn't coming off too strong. But, he wanted to make Enki feel both informed and comfortable. "I was thinking we start with some defensive battle training." Incubus grew silent as he waited for a response.

"Speech"

The boy offers a small, uncertain smile as he approaches, introducing himself and getting the man’s name is response. Enki relaxes slightly, allowing his shoulders to loosen as the man explains his intentions. Nodding, the boy says, “I would like that. At some point, I would like to go and join my mother but… the trip might be dangerous. Knowing how to defend myself would be helpful.” A soft chuckle escapes before he adds, “I can show you my defensive stance and we can go from there?”

An eyebrow raises and, if agreed on, the pup will adopt his defensive stance. Life has been hectic for him and he has not had much, or really any, fighting training. His knees bend slightly and he lowers his center of gravity, toes splaying as he uses them to grip the ground. Neck scrunches and eyes narrow but, beyond that, Enki knows nothing. Blue eyes look to his instructor for guidance.


"Enki Klein"

The boy seemed receptive of Inc's offer. The grin remained on the brute's lips as he listened to Enki's explanation. Everything the youngling said made complete sense and Incubus nodded in agreement. "I agree completely, Enki. It's best to take a journey like that on with as much preparation as possible. There are a number of skilled warriors in Ashen and each one of us would be more then willing to help you. Never be afraid to ask." His smile grew for a moment before they moved into the lesson.

Enki settled into his defensive stance. Pale eyes observed the pup's form, noting the bent knees, hackles raising, and narrowed eyes. Inc offered another nod, "That's a good start. You have lowered yourself to aid with balance, that will help when an opponent tries to shove you or try to trip you up. The lower you are to the ground the harder it is to knock you over." Incubus bent his knees and elbows as well, to lower himself. "In addition to lowering your body you can also lower your head to align it with your spine." The instructor lowered his head and flagged his tail out. His skull, back, and tail made nearly a straight line. "This will help with speed and make your neck and throat harder to target. It is a good stance to maintain if you wish to keep distance from your opponent and focus on more swift attacks."

Incubus would then raise his head, maintaining the bent joints, and flag his tail upward slightly. Hackles rolled upward to fluff out and his muzzle pointed downward slightly. Eyes slipped into narrowed slits and ears flattened against his skull. This was a much more domineering stance. "If you wish to stand your ground and intimidate an opponent you would want to take on a stance like this. Raising your hackles will make you appear larger which will help when you encounter predators." A pause. "Pointing your muzzle down and slightly at an angle will protect your throat. The throat is arguably the most important part of your body, other then the belly, to protect. Making that area harder to reach is always something that must be in the back of your mind." Incubus flicked his nose to the boy, "You try it now." He'd continue explanation after Enki practiced.

"Speech"

Pale blue eyes watch Incubus as he talks, nodding slowly in response to the statement of not being afraid to ask for help. Truthfully, Enki doesn’t know how not to be afraid of anything since his whole life has been spent, running and hiding. The smile he offers the man is kind but lacks confidence behind it. There a brilliant spark of determination in his eyes and, following that, he shifts into his defensive stance, ready and willing to learn. Thoughts of reuniting with all his siblings drives him do better and he absorbs the information that is given, like a sponge.

Pale eyes watch as Incubus mirrors him, lowering into a defensive position as the man continues to talk. The pink pup learns about aligning his spine he does what is suggested, following his instructor’s movements and lowering his head while flagging his tail. It takes him a few moments but he finds the sweet spot and makes a mental note of how it feels when his spine is aligned. Next, Incubus moves on to an intimidating stance and Enki relaxes his body to watch what his instructor does.

Head nods slowly as he thinks it watches, thinking things over, before it is thrown back to him to try and practice the stance. With a sharp dip of his head, Enki bends his joints while moving his head to form the straight line. Tail lifts slightly and the boy allows his hackles to raise as he tucks his chin slightly. Eyelids lower and his ears flatten as his lips pull back to relieve his teeth. A deep growl rumbles in his chest and he maintains the domineering stance for a few beats before allowing the growl to end.

Blinking his eyes so that they open wider, his flagged tail slowly wags as he asks, “Like that?” Still a pup, a part of the pink boy yearns to make all adults proud of him… like, he hopes, his mother is.


"Enki Klein"