child-friendly? what's that?

Absinth returned to her place at the head of the group where she sat down and began to speak again, her tone serious as she commanded the children. Out of the corner of her eye she spots one of her nieces, Cressida. She gives the girl a wink before returning her gaze to the group as a whole. “Every day, you must push your limits.” She said, her voice unwavering as her gaze met each child's eye in turn, willing them to take her lesson to heart. “Make no mistake. Strength is not merely physical. It’s mental, emotional; it’s about enduring hardships and never surrendering.”

She let her eyes bore into them, intense and unyielding, before shutting them abruptly. “Close your eyes. Imagine you face a coyote, one stronger than you. What do you do?” She paused, allowing the weight of her words to settle, her eyes remaining closed. She gives them a few moments to murmur their responses, to think about the question before she barks out the answer. Her answer. “You fight. You use every ounce of strength you have, every dirty trick and game you can think of . You must be relentless.” When her eyes opened again, the sharp emeralds now held a dangerous softness, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

“Wits and will can be as powerful as any muscle you train. Use whatever you must, whatever suits you, my loves; to preserve your life and seize control of it.”

wormwood