set a few weeks after Hal’s joining.

another day, another new member Spider is eager to sniff out and introduce themselves to. their pack keeps growing under Bas’ careful attentions, and they’re positively delighted by it. how many new friends will they have? what kind of skills can they learn from their new packmates, and what skills can they impart on others? a sparse layer of fog hangs over a frost-laden morning, and Spider shakes out their scruffy pelt to ward against the cold. picking their way through the Col, they pause outside the den of the Armada’s newest apprentice and poke their head inside, eyes alighting on a female yearling with a happy wag of their tail. “hi,” they whisper, hoping not to startle her. they’d sort of…snuck up on Sen last time. not exactly ideal. “i’m Spider, Bas’ kid.” an idea occurs to them, and they offer an eager smile. “feel up to a fighting lesson?”

"Speech"

That cool, foggy morning found Hal laying listlessly on her side in her new sleeping quarters, vaguely trying to sleep but mostly just staring at the entrance, waiting until it was a more suitable time to be awake. The privacy and comfort of the little cavern was nice she supposed, but it also reminded her of her old home, which put her on edge, the traumatized part of her anxiously waiting for a panting, blood-soaked bear to come lumbering down it's passages any time now. With time, the feeling would pass, she was sure, so for now she just tried to make the most of the long, restless nights.

Her ears flicked to the clicking of nails echoing in the passage outside, alerting her of an approaching visitor (one definitely too light-footed to be a grizzly) long before they politely dipped their head in and whispered 'hi'. She carefully rolled her body over and lifted her head, blinking sleepily at the dark wolf before her. Then... blinking again... nope. Four eyes. Actual four eyes, not her blurry vision. Alright then. There seemed to be a myriad of new physical traits in this pack to get used to, but she wasn't judging. Honestly why couldn't mother nature give her an extra set of eyes to spot enemies with? Hmph.

Apprently this was (the well named) Spider, one of Bas's children. She nodded firmly, and raspily returned, "Halldóra." She still wasn't much for conversation, but saying her name for all the new faces had practically become a habit by now. Their next offer was far more interesting than names, though; a fighting lesson.

In the time she'd been here, Hal had mostly remained sedentary and out of sight, resting that damn sprained ankle. Now though, after a good couple weeks, it was finally feeling back to normal, leaving her in a good but slightly.. awkward position. For now was the time to get up and actually start integrating into the pack, not just sitting back and silently observing. A little introductory fighting lesson sounded like a good way to get things going in the right direction.

Mulling it over for a second, she gave another curt nod and rose to her paws, intent to follow them out. "Sure."

"Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves."

the den is a quiet pocket of air, a bubble of peace amidst the chaos of pack life, and despite their usual buoyancy, Spider lowers their voice accordingly. “nice to meet you, Halldora.” she seems to be a girl of few words, but that’s alright; Spider can talk enough for the both of them. in any case, she accepts Spider’s offer easily enough. “great! i’ll just wait for you out here.” they back out of the den, giving it a wide birth to leave plenty of room for Hal to exit at her own pace. they know first hand how overwhelming pack life can be, after all.

once she’s emerged, Spider turns in a little circle and faces the new recruit head-on. she doesn’t seem like the type to waste time on pleasantries, so they decide to get right to the crux of the thing. “okay, i thought we’d work on a few defensive manoeuvres today, if it’s alright with you.” they run an appraising gaze over the girl, humming considerably. “since i don’t know your fighting style, perhaps you could come at me a few times and i’ll demonstrate some possible counter-moves?” they shift into a familiar fighting stance, months of training rending it almost instinct. perhaps the difference in size between them will be strange for Hal, but it’ll allow her to get used to fighting opponents of all sizes in the future.

"Speech"

Just as swiftly as they appeared did they accept her acceptance of the offer and back out of the den, waiting for her beyond the threshold. She rose to her paws with a soft grunt and followed closely behind.

Once outside, she took a moment to stretch and yawn, testing her weight on the previously injured foot to make sure all was right before turning her attention to Spider, ears flicking at their words thoughtfully. Some defensive maneuvers, sure, makes sense that'd be a good place to start; she indicated as much with an approving hum. And she would be starting, they proposed, since it was her general experience and style they needed to determine before any real teaching could begin. Fair enough.

She leveled her gaze at her opponent and sized them up, as they had done for her moments before. Only now, out in the open whilst they both stood on equal footing, did she realize how much smaller they were. Were they... even the same age? Seemed so, but now she couldn't be certain.

She didn't want to just run them over, yet... Then again, this was a strong pack of capable fighters (so she believed anyway), who likely practiced such maneuvers all the time, with opponents big and small. And she in turn, though having a physical advantage, had only memories of lessons her parents had imparted on her, memories that were hard to access through the haze of time and melancholy. What she had in size Spider could very easily make up for in experience, so this would be... interesting.

Suppose the only way to really know for sure was to put it to the test, so after just a moment's hesitance, she lunged towards Spider's left side, aiming to body check them with her shoulder. She also lifted and turned her face away from them, trying to at least keep it out of easy snapping range, though given their proximity it certainly wasn't a foolproof defense.

"Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves."

Spider slides into a defensive stance as Hal launches her first attack, feet and tail splayed for better balance and chin protecting their throat. for someone with little training, Hal has good instincts; she aims for their left side, and if Spider had been any slower, they’d have been knocked flat. it’s a good strategy, and they make a note to praise Hal for it for later. the aim of this exercise isn’t to get concussed by their packmate, however.

instead, Spider ducks the shoulder at the last moment and throws themselves into Hal’s flank, using their body to hopefully trip her. with a larger wolf, this move might be enough to send someone flying, but Spider’s small size means they have to get creative. so Spider stamps down on Hal’s foot and presses even closer, attempting to sling the bigger woman over their back. it’s a bit of a risky move, but when used effectively, it can spare you a nasty bruise. hopefully they’re successful in performing it; wiping out in front an apprentice would be….embarrassing.

"Speech"