How do you do, fellow kid?

Ezra was glad that Artorias didn't mind that he didn't have something specific in mind that he wanted to work on. In honesty, this whole idea of training with Artorias was still very new to him and had gotten put on him kinda suddenly so he was more or less just making it up as he went along. He was excited though. It was a way for him to enjoy learning more about fighting and getting stronger while still getting to avoid being around his father for a while longer. He nodded in agreement as Art explained how the foundations were good to have and a good place to start and hummed thoughtfully when he pointed out how he would need to tailor his moves to himself. It wasn't really something he had really needed to consider before because it had become pretty clear pretty early on that he was going to match his father in stature so many of the things his father did were applicable to him as well. It was a good thought to have though and he kept it in mind as they continued.

Even just from the little bit Artorias had told him so far he was actually really impressed with the Carpathius boy's knowledge. Listening to him talk about how he used his lighter, smaller build to his advantage and how he took advantage of counter attacks was really smart. Art obviously had taken his training much more serious than Ezra had allowed himself to and he got the sense that he was going to have to do a lot of catching up to do if he wanted to get as good at it as Artorias. He didn't feel jealous though, he understood that this was his own fault and now he just had to fix it.

It was kind of a relief to know that he didn't have to have a weapon to do the kind of things that Artorias did. With his unusual teeth he didn't really know how something like his sword would work out. He'd have to figure out what sort of things were going to work for him instead. It sounded like one of those things that was going to be easier said than done, but with the motivation of improving to be on an equal playing field as Artorias in the back of his mind he was up to the challenge. The first drill was presented to him and he nodded in agreement, settling into the defensive stance his father had taught him right away. He may only know the basics, but he at least knew those really well. "Ready," he confirmed, meeting the boy's smirk with one of his own.

Right away, Art came out swinging - literally. The first swing Ezra was able to hop with the momentum built up in his slightly crouched stance, settling more of his weight back into his hind legs as he reared up to miss the wooden blade. He danced backward, jumping from side to side and sometimes completely jumping over the blade. After several swings though, his large paws tripped over one another as he tried to move quickly to dodge Art's swing and he stumbled, causing him to take a hard swing of the practice sword right to his shins. He sucked in a breath through his teeth with a hiss at the sharp pain the wack gave him and took a second to shake out each of his legs while he waited for the pain to subside. It would probably just bruise if anything, but it still didn't feel good.

"Ezra"