Not an easy student

Artorias had never considered himself a natural born leader, nor would he have said he aspired to such things. But perhaps there was something inside the young wolf that made him a force of inspiration. As he spoke, he had seen Lia's expressions shift from one of disgruntled indifference to one of renewed determination. He smiled when she joined him in the training ring instead of giving up right away. She vowed to not disappoint him and to always be his. "Then let's make sure you always remain a Hallowed wolf," he said with a curt nod of his head. Artorias had not brought his armor or sword to their training today, not wanting to overwhelm the poor girl. They could practice basics, movements and stretches, maybe put theory into practice a bit with a spar. Everything would go by Lia's pace though. He wanted this to be worth her time as much as it was his.

"Let's begin with some basic stretches. There's nothing fancy to these, you just want to keep your body limber." Although from looking at her lithe, slender form, Art had no doubt Lia was capable of that on her own. He arched his body downward as he stretched his forelegs out in the sand, then leaned it forward to stretch out his hind legs, spine, and hips. He did this a few times, then alternated stretching out each limb individually, going slow so Lia could imitate him if she wished, or let her use her own methods. "I do these every morning as part of my routine. Meditation and stretches," he explained with a little smirk. "Help gets me ready for the day."

The sun continued to head towards the western horizon as afternoon dipped toward evening. With their stretches finished, Artorias straightened up his position as he considered Lia. The girl was smaller than he, but by no means small, though she definitely was built more as a lover than a fighter, her slim frame and physique showing fitness, but not strength. That was fine; he'd seen wolves like her topple knights before. "Fighting itself is not a hard practice, and like other... ah, activities, it can be simplified down into an art form," he explained, shifting his body fluidly from standing erect to a lowered and tensed fighting stance. "Fighting is two main principles: protecting yourself and damaging your opponent. You want to keep yourself from getting hurt as much as you want to keep your opponent away from you." He relaxed and returned to his standing position. "The techniques I want to teach you are more for self-defense. I don't think you'll go looking for a fight, but these will help keep you safe if Briar or myself aren't near you." He waited for Lia to confirm she understood, or to ask any questions she might have, before proceeding to the actual lessons.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Corbin" | "Argent"