Dealing with the loss of a friend wasn't something that Bass wasn't used to, but it wasn't something that he particularly liked. He laid in his den, watching the shifting sun as it marked the approach of midday. It had been a mix of snow and rain in the morning, but now it would seem that they had a small break as dim sunlight filtered in his den. The golden beams danced across his white coat, but he felt no joy in it. Instead it was the crippling loss of Hansel, having just passed a few days ago. But he couldn't hide in his den forever, since taking Merlin as his apprentice he had yet to even train him. Plus, time with the always chipper boy would do something to get him out of this stupor. With a groan he pulled himself to his paws, padding out of his resting place and more into the heart of the plains. His tail swished behind him as he looked around, trying to see if he could spot him before he howled. Seeing no one around, the Primo tipped his head up and let out a summoning call for his youngest son. A distraction would be welcomed right now, and with Merlin it was hard to feel sad. Sitting down, he glanced around as he waited. The boy had told him that he hadn't gotten any training from Tinaro at all, wherever the high ranking wolf was. If he didn't show up soon he would be stripped of his rank and demoted back to the first level of a guard, irritation flashing in his eyes. He had promised to do well in that rank, but so far it was nothing but yet another disappointment. Sighing, he had a feeling that they would have to start from the very basics, but that was alright. He had done this so many times before that it was like clockwork, he needed to see to it that Merlin got properly trained anyways.

"Speech" -- "Italian"

Winter rain wasn't nearly as much fun as summer rain.

Merlin had spent most of the morning crouched beneath a tree, staring intently at the sleet that had already made a miserably cold, sodden mess of him earlier before he'd managed to dry off in his makeshift shelter. It had finally cleared up, allowing him to venture out again. Slushy puddles were everywhere. He liked puddles. Liked jumping in them. These puddles, though, he eyed warily. He wanted to jump in them... but the miserably cold state of the precipitation that had caused the puddles made him hesitate.

The sound of his father calling for him perked up his ears though, and his tongue lolled sideways in a wide-mouthed grin. If there was any trace of sadness in Bass' voice, Merlin certainly didn't notice it. His head and tail shot up in gleeful excitement, and the young male took off through the previously-scorned icy puddles with a spurt of water.

"Dad!" he bellowed as he came skidding to stop in a spray of slush. "What's up? Are we training? We're training aren't we?! All right! What're we going to do?" Tongue lolling, he panted happily and bumped his strong young shoulder against his father's.

It didn't take long for the boy to show up, skidding to a stop and spraying slush all over Bass' form. He flinched backwards, his eyes closing against the assault of cold, icy water. Ever so slowly he opened his eyes, shaking himself to rid of the unwanted liquid. Opening his mouth, he was about to answer Merlin's question before an unexpected attack came. Merlin jabbed against his own shoulder, the older male stepping back with an oof. Bass shook his head as he laughed, eying his over exuberant son with humor in his gaze. He could always count on Merlin for bringing some sunshine to his rainy days. "Yes, we're going to train today. Now, did Tinaro go over anything at all with you?" he asked, taking a seat and watching the boy for any more sudden movements. He didn't know if he even knew his defenses, which caused a flash of irritation to colour his features for a moment. Pushing it away, he watched his son with a single brow raised. "Can you show me your fighters stance?" There was a lot that he would be able to tell from how the boy stood, if he knew how to properly hold and defend himself against incoming attacks. They would go from there, it was the best starting point.

"Speech" -- "Italian"