RALLY THE TROOPS [ludi self defense lesson]

The man licked his jaw clean from blood as he trotted along the borders of Ludicael. The meal he had shared with Aria and had left her around half an hour before to do his duties. Green orbs scanned the land around the borders diligently while his nose raked the air for any alien scents. The man reached the main river that ran through Ludicael and stooped to take a long drink. The summer was harsh and unforgiving. You had to drink frequently to avoid dehydration. The water was finally free from the terrible ash that had infected his mate. His claws twitched in anger at the thought. The sudden urge to fight reminded him of a conversation he'd had the day before with a man called Magnus. During the same wretched bout of ill weather the man had lost his front foot and was still unsteady on it. Magnus just happened to be the self defense teacher in Ludicael but until he regained his sure-footedness he could not demonstrate. Haku had volunteered to help the man in any way possible and had agreed to attend his lesson later that day. In fact, that lesson would just be about starting...
As Halu entered the clearing, the gathering of wolves ready to be taught was numerbe. He nodded and smiled to each in turn before sitting beside the ebony paws man. No worry. I'm here to help with whatever you need. Tbere was no pity in Haku's voice, rather the opposite. Respect.

"speech"