Not only had Azure won his battle in the raid, but he had fought against an opponent that had intended to brutally harm him. Having severed two toes off of his opponent, Resin felt that his accomplishments deserved praise and reward. The previous day, the scarred woman had traveled to the land full of birds. It was a noise, smelly place, but it had exactly what she needed. A pair of condors had roosted in one of the larger trees, drawn by the plethora of avians that would be easy hunting for them. Well, killing them hadn't been easy hunting for the old wolf, but with the help of another, she had managed to fell both birds. With their wings removed and the feathers from their neck plumes collected, she made her way back to Armada lands. The sun was glaring overhead and black fur was hot. Settling beneath one of the few trees that spattered the land, the woman sat down the rolled skin that held the wings and feathers. Only once she had cooled a bit did she tip her muzzle slightly upwards and call for Azure. "Speech"

Azure's ear was still sore from Aureus' crushing grab but thankfully it remained mostly whole through his victory. Already the flesh upon it was torn from Indy's attack, making Aureus' small tears nearly unnoticeable in comparison. He'd come out with a prize of his own though, two toes torn from the opponent's paw that would serve as a forever reminder to the man of the Armada's strength. Az returned home with twice the confidence he'd left with, while he'd lost every fight he participated in growing up he'd succeeded where it mattered - his mother had let him in on the secret that her warrior training went the very same way. Resin's call was one he didn't expect, but Azure was feeling much more like a soldier then a prince this day and he did not hesitate to obey the lieutenant's howl. He found her quickly, head held high and proud as he strode towards her attempting to keep the pleased grin from his maw and in it's place wear a professional mask. "You called for me, grandmother?" Somehow the win had not just bolstered his confidence, but for now had tempered his ego. He bowed his head respectfully in greeting and took a seat before her. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

The boy arrived promptly and Resin spared him the barest of grins, which, for her, was like a full on smile. Black ears swiveled to catch his words and she nodded. "You did well in the raid. I'm proud." She gave the compliment where it was due. He had shown exceptional skill, especially for one so young.

Lifting one large, black-toed paw, the scarred dame pushed the large, wrapped bundle towards the boy. Within the skin were three wings and large feathers from not one, but two condors. Once he opened the skin, the woman would explain. "To repair your armor with or to build a second set." A sufficient reward for his bravery and skill, she thought.

Sliding down to lay on her stomach, the one eyed dame continued. "Our next raid will be more intense. This raid against Aerie was more of a test." She fixed him with her golden gaze. "Do you think that you're ready?"

To hear of her pride bolstered the boy's ego further and he puffed out his chest, grinning. He'd never been more proud of himself, either. She displayed to him the feathers and his grin widened, his oversized paw lifting to touch one claw to the wing. "It's perfect, thank you. Mine got a bit damaged when he landed on my back, I'm not sure how to fix it." When she continued, his grin faltered. More intense? How much more intense could it be? He hesitated in his reply. "Honestly, I was really scared once I realized what that man was trying to do to me." His grandmother was not one he felt the need to be fake around, they'd had their ups and downs and won each other's mutual respect in the end. She was family, and he was not ashamed to admit his fear to her. "I'm really glad I won, but how could it possibly be worse?" He frowned, imagining his ear being truly ripped from his head. Or an eye. Or a leg. Was he ready? "What if I'm not?" "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

The scarred dame was glad to see the appreciation in Azure's face. Part of her thought that he might still be too haughty to accept the gift. He thanked her, stroking the feathers of one wing and that golden eye glinted as she watched. That was a good step. It showed that he was growing, like she'd hoped. Her question about the next battle seemed to rattle the boy. His expression changed and the worry began to creep in. It was actually a relief to the maned fae that he felt this way. "Fear and apprehension are good things. That means that you'll train harder to overcome that fear. You'll open yourself to different types of training so that you'll be ready for any situation that comes your way." The woman gave a nod and stared hard at the boy. "Fear keeps you alive. When you're too cocky to feel fear in battle, then you make mistakes. When you lose your apprehension, you close your mind. You stop thinking about what could come next." She still felt apprehension during battle and she'd been at it for a long time. She didn't feel fear so much, but she always felt anxious. "If you wish to train in different situations before the next battle, I'd be glad to help you." She could think up varied types of attacks, but it would be better if Azure was the one to think of the attacks. Then he would b ready for the different situations that worried him. "Speech"

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Her words reminded him somewhat of gentle reassurances mothers gave their pups and his frown deepened. Resin had never lied to him nor dialed down the truth to his age, so why did it feel like she was now? He disliked it, though he did his best to keep the frustration contained. "Dad isn't ever afraid." He insisted quietly. "He saw Indigo being attacked and I swear he would have torn out the man's throat if Indy hadn't won. You can't do that if you're afraid. You can't throw yourself infront of those you love if you're afraid." He paused a beat, gathering his words. "I don't think he's even afraid of dying. I think he'd die for any of us, and that's a really hard intensity to match." A soft puff of breath bellowed from his nose in a sigh as he contemplated her offer. While most days he felt like he could take on the world and that his training was complete, he'd been shown just how important it was to stay in top shape or risk an ear. "I would like to learn more, grandma."

Resin chuckled at the absolute surety in his father's lack of fear. "It's fear that makes him strong. Fear that something might happen to his children or his pack." The maned dame shook her head. "Fear is only bad if you let it rule you." The old wolf fixed her gaze upon him. "You won't let fear rule you." This, she knew.

Azure admitted that he wanted to learn more and she nodded. It was wise of him. Training was never complete. Even she trained and learned after all of these years. "Tell me about your fight. What did your opponent do that startled you? What did they do to surprise you?" Yes, she'd been there and she'd seen the whole thing, but seeing and participating were different things.

She stared down at him with her one eye and Azure turned away from the stare almost immediately. His grandmother had always been an intense old wolf and even as prideful and egotistical as Azure was he could not stand tall beneath her gaze. He hoped she was right, that he would not let his fear rule him. The confirmation was hard to speak aloud however, as he remembered once more the feeling of being attacked. Az stared out into the distance as he recalled the battle for her, his brows furrowing in thought. "I don't know where he came from." He admitted. "How did nobody see him? He came from behind me, leaped onto my back and stayed there the whole fight. Tooth, claw, I can't use them against an enemy who hides on my shoulders. I didn't know what to do." Even looking back on the battle in safety Az could still not think of how he could have done differently. It was the hardest fight he'd ever been involved in, and the one with the highest stakes. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

"You will not, " she assured him once more. The doubt on his face was obvious, but she had no doubt. Of all the Fatalis children, Azure was the most stubborn. The most devoted to making himself the best that he could be. If any of them could combat fear, he would be the one.

The old woman listened as he spoke of his view point of the battle. She nodded as he voiced his concerns. After a time, she spoke. "I have experienced similar things. It's easy for a smaller wolf to ride one as big as we are." There was just so much room to hang on.

Her leg was getting stiff and she needed to walk. Rising, Resin gently snuffled the fur atop Azures head with her nose. "You should train with Aslatiel. She's small and could recreate the situation for you." With a tug of her head, she motioned for him to follow.

"If a smaller opponent is on your back, there are options." She began to pick her way down one well worn path at a leisurely walk. "You can throw yourself on your pack, hopefully pinning them beneath you and knocking the air out of them. Or you could slam them against an object like a tree or boulder." She'd done both many times before. "Use your environment to your advantage." Hell, if he was near water he could even try to drown them. One had to be creative in battle sometimes. Often that creativity would throw off your opponent.

Resin's advice was sound, and as his grandmother beckoned him to follow he obediently moved his paws along after her. She seemed much more confident then he did, and knowing her experience and rank it allowed Azure more comfort that she was not simply pandering to him. If she believed he could conquer fear, then perhaps he could.

His head nodded thoughtfully at her words. "I'll ask her." Az agreed. Asla would be the right size to practice upon, he only needed to be careful that in attempting to throw her off that he didn't crack her skull open. Being careful in a spar with tooth and claw was one thing, but throwing a wolf from your back brought many variables that he couldn't entirely control. She continued, and Azure let out a small chuckle. "Grandma, you were there. What was I to bash him against? Father?" The wolves had been lined in a row when Aureus attacked, no trees or boulders were close enough to bang his back against and while the warlord was surely towering, Az felt he'd not have appreciated being used as an object in his fight.