Naiche hated the cold, he hated snow, and he hated the moisture in the snow.  If there was any other way he could think up to hate on the weather it also counted.  This should be spring, so where was sprint?  He had thought it was going to be arriving but then the hint of a wonderful future was gone and more snow had arrived?  Thank goodness for Sirius and the cloak he’d been given. Naiche made his way through the horrific snow, to a spot under one of the scattered trees amongst the plains that offered a tiny shelter from some of the snow.  There was still snow under his paws but to a lesser degree, the tree could only do so much.  He howled for Natha, asking her to come to see him, he had a mission for her. Each day Naiche was starting to have more fun with his new rank of general.  He was still new and hadn’t done much yet but his plans were growing and his confidence growing as he found his own way to prove himself capable of the role.  He’d make sure every wolf here learned how to take care of itself and protect its packmates.   He hoped Natha wasn’t too far away.  Naiche hated snow. "Naiche"

Heavy snow continued into spring but Natha wasn't perturbed in the least. She was built for harsh northern winter and she found herself enjoying the fact that winter was lingering even if her pack mates were less thrilled. She'd been out hunting when she heard Naiche's call. Curious as to what he was calling her for she slipped toward the source. Her large paws and the fur between them allowing her to almost glide over the snow drifts until she arrived. "Hello Naiche, is there something I can help you with?" She remained standing for now, not wishing to sit her rear down on the cold snow though, unlike her long tailed cousins, her short fluffy tail was less likely to suffer frostbite.

He didn’t have to wait overly long thankfully.  Dealing with snow was bad enough but just standing out in the snow and doing nothing was all the worse.  The scrawny tree, as little as it protected was still a welcome thing.  He offered Natha a quick wag of his tail once, glad she had shown up. Naiche offered a grin at her question, “I was indeed hoping for a bit of help.” There were other sources who could certainly play the part he wanted Natha to play but she was likely one of the best for the job he had in mind. “I’m in charge of training new recruits and keeping the veterans sharp.  I don’t want to just stick to the normal methods of making wolves spar daily, as fun as it is it doesn’t prepare for all scenarios.”  He was sure she knew that just as well but it was just to explain himself. “A surprise attack occasionally would be a nice way to shake things up and make sure some become more observant.  I thought you might be willing to help in attempting to sneak up on one of the wolves who recently returned.  I'll watch from a distance but wolves need to learn to pay attention to their surroundings instead of assuming nothing will ever happen. Also if you do get in a first surprise attack they need to learn how to recover quickly to still defend themselves, or win.”   “Do you know Skyfire? She’s the target I have in mind.”  Naiche wasn’t sure if Natha trained regularly for fighting as well and one way or another it would be good practice for her also.  She might train daily on her own anyway but more training was never a bad thing.  In Naiche’s mind if one wasn’t working then it was time to either train, sleep, or eat and that was a great way to spend a life.  Why lounge around when there was fighting you could do? "Naiche"

Natha filtered out the noise of birds chattering nearby so she could focus on what the General was saying to her. She could hunt the small fluffy creatures later if she felt so inclined. However, Natha was more inclined to save her energy for prey she was more likely to catch such as rabbits. Naiche explained he was working on ways to train and sharpen the warriors and in particular he wanted to deal with sneak attacks. The target in mind was a wolf named Skyfire. Natha wracked her brain for the name but ultimately shook her head. "No, I may have heard the name or seen the face but the two haven't been connected yet for me." She couldn't remember being formally introduced. "But certainly, I can test this wolf for you if you provide me an accurate description." As usual, she got right down to business.

Excellent, Natha was willing to help!  It made sense to try and get different pack members to help in training others it could include sharpening their own skills in the process.  “She’s around my height,” Naiche offered as her first trait as that really narrowed down the choices right there.  So many giants in the pack made those of smaller stature stand out, “her coat is primarily grey, darker on the legs and her face is primarily black.  A bit thicker of a build than me, but not overly so.”  Naiche didn’t bother listing off her every detail but it was enough to get the idea across of what to look for.   “I’ll have her patrol tomorrow morning while the sun is still rising over the horizon if that time will work well enough for you.  I can have her start whatever edge suits you best for where you would like to be waiting.” Naiche would find himself an adequate spot to be watching from wherever Natha said.  The gold-coated wolf wasn’t planning to use Natha for every wolf he tested of course but, it seemed a fun way to start things off.  It was also a nice way for two pack members to meet since obviously, Natha had not met this wolf before. much?"Speech"

Natha listened quietly as Naiche described the woman she would be testing. He followed up with plans for testing, stating that she'd be on patrol the next morning. "Anywhere along the border of the Tall Grass Plains and the Weeping Woods would work well." She'd chosen the woods in particular as there had been bear sightings as well as a pack of wild dogs connecting with the border of the Armada from that area. With allies to the north and west those areas were a bit less likely to come under attack. Natha already had an idea in mind for where she would lay in wait and ambush the woman. She only hoped this would go well. She didn't want to severely injure the other but a serious fight could occur in a surprise attack. She might not realize that Natha was a pack mate or think that the feline was deranged or turning traitor.