Her and Rhyme had decided that it was time to put the pups to their official apprenticeships. Noir would become a warrior, and she had left Rhyme to speak to one of their best warriors to start his apprenticeship. She also hoped Odysseus could pull the man into line. She wanted Verse to learn healing, a safer future for the sickly wolf, but her and Rhyme where not of one mind concerning her. Motif, she knew, leaned towards no particular skill, so she would pass the girl around to a mentor of each skill until something stuck. Poem.. Poem was the heir, and her training would be difficult. As for Theory? Well, that girl had managed to win her heart on the day Shaye had showed her around the pack. She hated to say it, but Theory was the only one who had won her heart of Tana’s children. Noir was a bully, and Verse had a barely-there personality, at least when she was in the same space as Shaye. With Theory, Shaye had some ideas in the works, and wanted to see how the kid responded to her potential future. If becoming a diplomat appealed to her, she would be a strong aid to Poem when the mantle was passed on to her child. Both of those girls would hold a lot of sway in Abaven in the future, if things worked out in the way Shaye was planning. She found the young girl not far from the rapids, and would let out a gentle bark to let the girl know she was searching for her. She approached the blue eyed wolf, and smiled down at the sweet girl. “Theory, hello there” she said in greeting. “Me and Rhyme have decided to start you all in official training, that means potentially a lot more freedom will be heading your way.” she teased her gently. “I have an idea for where to direct your training, do you want to hear it?” "Speech"

THEORY CAVALIERE-DESTRUCTION ______________________________ Although the cheery young girl was normally outgoing, the past few weeks she had been a bit down. Her mother's disappearance had confused and hurt her more than she cared to admit. Theo felt burdened by the care of her siblings - she did her best to look after Verse and keep Noir in line, but it was hard. She was taking on more responsibility than was her right, but it was in nature to try and look after her siblings. With Tana gone, the world seemed bigger and scarier than before. Theo was practicing stalking when she heard Shaye's bark. The girl was still growing into her body, and she was at an awkward phase where her paws and ears were much bigger than they ought to be. Eventually she would fill out into a fine young woman (and stand quite tall), but for now she was making due with what she had. "Oh, hello!" She murmured, turning to the alpha and bowing her head respectfully. When Shaye spoke of her future, Theo felt a hopeful tremor. Although things were difficult now, maybe the future would be better. "I would love to hear about your plans," Theo said eagerly, twitching her tail in interest. Though her future remained unclear, one thing was for certain: Abaven was her home, and she would do anything for its alphas.

The gangly young girl turned to Shaye as she approached, and would bow her head, Shaye grinned and came to a stop before her. She knew Theory had taken some interest in what Shaye’s responsibilities in the pack were, and she had greatly enjoyed showing her around. Taking her on as an apprentice was a much greater responsibility, but with Actaea leaving, Shaye knew it was the right decision.

“Alright then, what do you know about the diplomat position in the pack?” she asked Theory, wanting to know how much she knew at this point, and what she envisioned a diplomat as doing. Of course, the leading question would likely also tell the girl exactly what Shaye was considering for her. The diplomat position led to a tier two position in the pack, did the girl know that? She had seen the way Theory had tried to look out for her siblings at a trying time in her life. She had a strong feeling that she would work well with Poem in the future, in the time they didn’t have their parents to guide them. Shaye wanted to give them the best start she could.

THEORY CAVALIERE-DESTRUCTION ______________________________ At the alpha's words, Theo became a little bit flustered. She bowed her head again and smiled to herself, trying her best to contain her glee. Becoming a diplomat would mean working closely with her sister and both alphas as she learned about the workings of other packs and Abaven's dealings with them. To be of service to both her pack and her family - the young girl couldn't imagine a more noble role. "The diplomat is responsible for pack relations and helping with things like trade agreements, visiting other packs, and just... being a good representative of Abaven." She grinned, hoping for praise for the answer. It was difficult to imagine that Shaye saw such potential in her after Tana's abandonment. If Theo was destined for great things, why wasn't that enough to keep her mother around? Shaye saw something in her that her mother did not, and Theo found this both comforting and troubling. "I want to learn as much as I can," she began as she finally found her voice, "I'll try my hardest to make you proud." And she meant, it. There was a strength to her promise that was unusual for such a young wolf. If Shaye saw something in her, Theo wanted to be sure that she could rise to the occasion.

She watched as the girl bowed her head, likely in thought as she considered the question carefully before she answered. She could sense some of the girls excitement, and knew she had picked well in deciding to offer this role to the young girl.

When Theory did speak, Shaye was undoubtedly impressed with the girls understanding of the roll. “Exactly so” she agreed, her tail giving a slight wag behind her, so Theory could see that she was impressed. “At this stage there isn’t much I can add to that, except it’s a lot of learning about the packs. After giving Ody the position, I also realised it’s necessary for the diplomat to know the workings of Abaven as well, and help with disputes within the pack. It’s a lot of responsibility and hard work, but if you want it, i’ll train you for it myself.” Shaye explained to the young wolf.

Shaye leaned forward and kissed the girl on the forehead. “I know you will, and I'm already proud” she said gently.

THEORY CAVALIERE-DESTRUCTION ______________________________ Theo tilted her head, trying to recall the packs that she knew of. They had always seemed so far away, like something she had dreamed (or sweated through the nightmare of, in the case of some). Shaye's tail wag sent a thrill through her. The clear approval was something she had been yearning for. After Tana's tumultuous exit, Theo was craving a strong, female role model. Most of her time was spent with Rhyme, and the promise of working so closely with Shaye was exciting. "I want it," Theo said seriously. She wanted it more than she had ever wanted anything in her young life. "When can I start?" The pup added brightly, "I want to learn about the other packs!" Shaye's tenderness caught her off-guard. She didn't remember much from her early weeks, but Verse had always needed more attention and affection than her or her brother, and the kiss felt like a balm on an old wound. Unable to contain herself, Theo lost her adultlike decorum and rushed to Shaye's chest, pressing her forehead into the female's fur. Theo whined softly and inhaled, trying to remember moments of her mother's affection. Tana was so frail and small... while Shaye was strong, someone to look up to. "I'm sorry," Theo muttered, slowly backing off from the alpha. "I... I miss my mother, but I want to be strong. For Verse. And Abaven."

“Right now” Shaye said with a laugh at her new apprentice’s enthusiasm. “There’s a lot to learn, so we’ll spend some time each day on it” she explained to the girl. She wouldn’t take too much of her time each day, she was still young and needed to play, but it would get her accustomed to a routine, and give her time to learn.

At the show of affection, some of the shell she had clearly formed around her heart melted away, and Theory pushed into her, releasing some of the stress that had been inside of her. Shaye put a paw over Theory, and pulled her close. She held her like that for a time as the young wolf whined, and moved through her feelings.

When she spoke of Tana, Shaye felt a stab in her heart. She felt a lot of responsibility for Tana’s leaving, she had frightened the woman, and well she also knew that Tana had almost hurt her children on numerous occasions… well, she was still their mother, and they needed her. It was a hard one, that was for sure.

She released Theory when she moved to back up, and explained what was going through her thoughts. “I understand, and I know you’ve been looking after your siblings.” she paused, and thought a moment. “If you want, some nights you can stay with me Poem and Motif, but don’t feel pressured to, you can stay under the tree with your father if you prefer” she just wanted to ensure the girl knew she was loved.

THEORY CAVALIERE-DESTRUCTION ______________________________ Shaye's willingness to give Theory the affection she had been so craving earned her a special place in the pup's heart. She would remember this day for a long time: it was the day that someone decided to believe in her. Tana hadn't thought she was worthy of love or worthy of staying in Abaven for, but Shaye was the alpha and extending a special olive branch, just for her. Theory felt a little more sure of herself. After taking full advantage of Shaye's hug, the pup listened to Shaye's offer. Theo was a bit taken aback. It was occasionally difficult to get a good night's sleep in her den - Tana was small and hadn't made it with the growth of the puppies mind before she left. Now that they were larger, Theo and Noir took up a large portion of the den. Theory spent most of the night making sure she didn't roll over onto Verse or being woken up by her much smaller sister's asthmatic breathing. Shaye didn't know just how good that offer sounded. "I would love that," Theory confessed. "But... can we talk about, um, diplomat stuff?" She segued, grinning a little bit. It was all so exciting! Theo was definitely showing her age. "Can you tell me a little bit about the other packs, for starters?"

“Then come by any time, okay? Just let your dad know first” she told Theory, extending an open-ended invitation for her to join them whenever she wished. She knew she couldn’t replace what she had lost in Tana, and she could never make up for her part in scaring Tana away, but she would offer everything she could to the sweet, bright-eyed girl.

“Good idea” she said, giving the girl a cheeky grin of her own she Theory asked to hear about diplomat-related things.

“Alright,” she said, settling down in front of the girl, but leaving a spot open in front of her paws if the girl wanted to sit there. “The packs can change easily, all it takes is a challenge to be won, for another leader to take their place…” she began.

“There are Eight packs in the land at the moment… Abaven is longest standing pack at the moment, with the Risen Empire after that. The Risen Empire is all the way in Auster, lucky for us because they are full of a group of wolves that believe they are gods walking on earth, descendent from their god. They are a large pack, and offending them or their Alpha Melleus could very easily lead to trouble.” she nodded at the girl seriously, before moving on to a different pack. “Kesali is a newly formed pack, with a good-hearted Alpha called Branch, they are an ally of ours. Kesali considers itself a pack of traders, and like to swap favours… any questions so far?”

THEORY CAVALIERE-DESTRUCTION ______________________________ Theo nodded eagerly at Shaye's open invitation. It sounded wonderful. She made a mental note to stop by their den soon and try to make herself comfortable. Although she didn't want to intrude, Theo would do anything for an evening of peace and quiet. As Shaye began her impromptu lesson on diplomacy, Theory settled in and wrapped her tail around her legs. She listened eagerly, trying to soak in as much information as she could. She nodded along as Shaye listed some of the current packs, her eyes widening as she spoke of the Risen Empire. "They sound... confused?" Theo said, tilting her head to the side. Religion hadn't yet been touched on, but the idea of finding yourself divine struck her as somewhat funny. "Can I start telling people I'm a god, too?" The pup laughed. When Shaye reiterated that offending any of the Rise of their alpha would mean trouble, she folded her ears and lowered her head, suitably cowed. They definitely sounded intimidating. The Kesali sounded fun, though! "Oh! Can we visit soon?" Theo asked brightly. The best way to learn would be to start greeting the friendly packs right away - and, of course, that would mean more friends. "What other packs are there?"

Shaye Destruction She laughed when Theory said that the Risen Empire sounded confused “Just don’t go saying that to their faces” she teased the young girl. She was joking with ehr for the moment, but what she said was true, and she would need to explain to her how the Risen Empire had put a tyrant on the Abaven leadership for a time. She liked the sound of Kesali, and in truth that was likely the pack Abaven was closest to at the moment, with their gentle, excitable Alpha with an easy grin. “I will definitely take you to Kesali some time” she promised the girl, just like she had taken Actaea to Fyri to show her what it was like to speak to another Alpha in an official sense. “Well, there is also Valhalla, their Alpha is called Aurielle. When she came to Abaven, the impression I got from her is that they had a lot of healers in their pack, and where interested in creating multiple-pack events” she said, but that was some time ago and nothing had yet come of it. “Then there is Legion, their Alpha is called Chaos, and his name suits him. It’s hard to tell what way he will swing in any event, and he is definitely out for himself before others.” she paused, considering if she should say it. “He is also Rhyme’s half-brother, but Rhyme and his father had a falling out, so their relationship is complicated at the moment. They are family, but that does not mean that pack will help us in a pinch.” she warned the girl. "Speech"

THEORY CAVALIERE-DESTRUCTION ______________________________ She soaked the information in, standing at rapt attention. Theory wanted Shaye to be certain that she had selected the right girl for the job. While Shaye laughed along, Theo could sense that the wolves of the Risen Empire were much more serious than she had originally imagined. Trying her best to commit this to memory, Theo listened as Shaye continued on. Theory wagged her tail eagerly when Shaye agreed to take her along to Kesali - how exciting! She hadn't quite been outside of the pack lands yet. They had been kept close to home, especially after Tana left. While she understood it logically, it was still terribly boring to be cooped up. "Valhalla?" Theory tilted her head and pondered it, "well, if they have many healers, it would be good to be friends with them! We should pay a visit to them as well," she nodded sagely, already trying to play the role Shaye had chosen for her. "If they're interested in having events with other packs... maybe we could organize something? A big, big hunt! Or a game of tag," Theo laughed, play bowing and carefully booping Shaye with her nose. "You're it!" she announced, and raced just a few feet away, bowing again. As Shaye continued, Theory grew confused. She furrowed her brow and stopped playing, trotting back to Shaye and sitting before her again. "Papa's brother? Well, if they're family... why don't they get along?" Although she knew that wasn't always true, Theo wanted to believe that her experience wasn't the rule. She harbored fear, confusion, and a little bit of hate in her heart for Tana... but if she was injured and Theo heard the call, wouldn't she come to help? The pup didn't want to think on it for too long, because inevitably she would flip the situation: if Theo was hurt and Tana heard the call... would she come to help? After recent events, Theory wasn't so sure. And that troubled her immensely.

She grinned at the pups enthusiasm to meet everybody well, mostly everybody. She didn’t say anything about wanting to go to the Risen Empire, thank goodness. Shaye was reluctant to head back there any time soon. “Valhalla is quite far away, but we definitely can at some point” she agreed, it would be good for the future diplomat to meet the alpha’s of the surrounding packs.

The pup bopped her on the nose, and Shaye rocked forward without moving her back legs and lifted a paw to playfully swipe her, but she was already out of reach. “Am I now?” she mused, a playful twinkle in her eye, though she didn’t move to chase the girl.

“Because sometimes family is close, and sometimes it isn’t. In Rhyme’s case, things happened that drove them apart.” she said, “But mostly, that’s his story to tell, I only tell you so you're prepared for what to expect from that pack” she explained. Likely Theory would connect the dotes to the day Rhyme had told all his children they couldn’t have the Imperiali’s last name.

THEORY CAVALIERE-DESTRUCTION ______________________________ Theory nodded, grateful that Shaye seemed to listen to her ideas. Even if she was young, it was good to feel heard. Although she was inexperienced, Theo thought she was getting the hang of what it meant to be a diplomat. The future was looking... fun. Getting to see the surrounding packs and meet all different faces sounded like the best way to live. Theory was getting the feeling that maybe her family was much bigger than she thought - if Rhyme had a brother running around, when she visited these other packs, would she find more faces like hers? White dots, staring back at her? Although she absolutely itched to ask more questions, Theory tried to keep it to herself. Maybe she could track down her papa soon and ask him to tell her more. It would certainly be her first big diplomatic negotiation. The way Shaye was making it out, something bad had happened, and Rhyme wouldn't be likely to tell her anything at all. She found the idea extremely frustrating, but also an interesting problem to solve. No matter what, she would find out what happened. "Okay, that makes sense," was all she said. "I've also been a little bit interested in learning how to fight..." Theory began, shuffling her paws nervously. She'd observed some other fighting lessons from afar, and she wanted to know how she could best defend herself and her siblings if it came to it.

“Fighting is a good skill for a diplomat to have. It's always best to try and win a fight with words, but failing that, having the strength to back you is wise.” she concluded. She looked to the small girl, and thought about her future in Abaven. It was good to be training another diplomat again, and she truly hoped to see the girl in the position one day. She hoped that she and Rhyme both got a chance to retire.

“Did you want a fight lesson, then?” Shaye asked the younger wolf, she could give her a more detailed idea of the packs in the coming days, as well as the map she had gotten Actaea to memorise once. For the moment, she felt a fight might help blow off some of the girls steam, and give her something else to think about learning.

THEORY CAVALIERE-DESTRUCTION ______________________________ Shaye's words rang true to her. Theory understood that it was important to reserve using force until it was absolutely necessary - but what if, underneath all of your talk, you were really just a wimp? No one would respect you. In order to have a strong relationship with other packs, they would have to respect each other. Theo nodded eagerly as Shaye asked if she wanted a fighting lesson. Yes! Maybe if she knew how to spar, she could stand up to Noir the next time he bullied Poem. And if words didn't word, she'd have the moxie to make it physical. The only better teacher than Miss Shaye for fighting was... well, maybe Rhyme. Maybe Odysseus. Making a mental note to bother both of them for a spar soon, Theory dropped into a stalking crouch and tried to surprise Shaye by running at her and trying to get a hold on one of her front legs. With the height disadvantage, Theo couldn't think of any other opening. Theory vs Shaye for Spar Round 1/2 Size: Extra large Build: Medium Fight Skill Level: Beginner Disability: Pup

Theory ran straight into the fight, which left Shaye laughing as she let the pup enter her personal space and grab her paw. “Remember your defences” she told the girl, pushing her own tail behind her like a banner, narrowing her eyes, folding her ears to her skull, and spreading her weight across her paws. She dug her claws in the earth for grip, and tucked her chin. “Like this, see?” she couched once she had finished her own preparations. “Always go for multiple attacks” she advised, she motioned with the paw Theory had gripped onto, and flicked her toes upwards, trying to hit at the back of Theory’s legs and unbalance her. “Something with your paws, and something with your teeth” she continued her instructions, demonstrating as she went. She dipped her head down and attempted to scrap her teeth across Theory’s ear, aiming to do no damage. Shaye vs Theory for Spar Round 1/2 Size: Extra Large Build: Medium Offensive Accessory: raven braces with spikes Defensive Accessory: raven bracers Companion 1: battle Raven Fight Skill Level: expert "Talk" "You" Think

THEORY CAVALIERE-DESTRUCTION ______________________________ Clearly, she had plenty more to learn. Shaye wasted no time in absolutely schooling her. Although Theory got a mouthful of her paw, she could tell that the alpha had merely allowed her. Her ears rotated in confusion as she listened to Shaye's instructions. Theo tried to dig in her claws as Shaye showed her, centering herself and lowering her center of gravity so that she'd be more difficult to knock over. However, with a paw in her mouth, she couldn't quite duck her chin, though that didn't stop her from trying. After strengthening her stance, Shaye's light touch didn't manage to unsettle her, but Theory's brief moment of triumph was squandered as she felt her firm but light touch close around her ear. Theo opened her mouth in surprise, letting go of Shaye's paw. Trying to take her mentor's advice into account, Theory tried to stand on her back legs and brace herself against Shaye's chest. In a real fight, she'd try to dig her claws in, but for now, Theory just wanted to use her for balance. As she tried to stand on shaky legs, she also attempted to close her jaw around a tuft of fur near Shaye's neck. Theory vs Shaye for Spar Round 2/2 Size: Extra large Build: Medium Fight Skill Level: Beginner Disability: Pup

She watched as the pup struggled to set her defences, it was clear her body wasn’t familiar with the motions, and Shaye could already consider exercises that would help her. She was definitely trying to take in everything Shaye said to heart, and when the Alpha’s teeth grazed her ear, she released the larger wolf’s paw. When Theory stood on her back legs and braced herself against Shaye, she allowed it, grinning down at the pup as she used the Alpha’s own body for height. When Theory closed her jaws around Shaye’s neck, the ALpha would toss her head back slightly, not enough to pull the pup with the force of it. ‘Ugh, you got me!” she cried, before bending her dead down and biting against the small wolf’s back, which was the easiest part to reach well the pup had her by the neck. Shaye vs Theory for Spar Round 1/2 Size: Extra Large Build: Medium Offensive Accessory: raven braces with spikes Defensive Accessory: raven bracers Companion 1: battle Raven Fight Skill Level: expert "Talk" "You" Think

And the winner is...

SHAYE

THEORY must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Shaye: 296.43 Theory: 162.55

- Judged by nyx