first light

She wouldn't be alone out here forever. Hazel knew that much. Really, no matter who the company was, she would probably be grateful for it. Being alone with her thoughts like this was dangerous for Hazel. The self doubt... she was still doing everything she could to push the self doubt down. To hold it back. Second guessing could be deadly, and she'd damn near lost her life in a fight once. If she wasn't confident she wouldn't survive the next one. If she wasn't confident, she didn't deserve to reach her goals. It was a dangerous game, one that Hazel couldn't afford to play.

The voice of a child. A puppy-puppy, not one of the yearling-puppies from the Warlord's litter. This was one of Aris's brood, Hazel realized, as her gaze set upon the girl. The question was a valid one, yeah. "Thinking about my last fight, and what I could have done better." Hazel shook some of the sand from her paws before beckoning the pup closer. She didn't want to shatter the quiet of the morning with her own voice, it was too early for that yet. "And then practicing the steps so I know what better feels like." Hazel explained, then demonstrated by taking a large, fluid step to the side and dodging an invisible swing to the left.

"What're you doing?" It seemed early for the pup to be up, but Hazel wouldn't fault her for that. She was more curious than anything else, and that reflected in her tone as she spoke to the girl.
"Speech"