"Oh, come on, Briar. It was just a spar. You still did well!" Briar huffed at her companion's insistence that she had done well in the spar she lost against Avantika in the tournament. She had put on a nice face for her opponent when she was declared the winner and had gone on through the rest of the festival just happy to be with Artorias while he was there, but once all the other wolves filtered away and she was left to her own thoughts she could only feel embarrassed by the fact that she had gotten kicked out in the first round of spars. She knew some of it was just luck or who happened to get the best attack in at the right time, but it was still a big blow to her pride. She'd lost in front of everyone, but most importantly in front of Artorias and her family. She had thrown herself into training the very next day and hadn't gone far from the training grounds since then. Marigold stuck somewhere close by most of the time, occasionally throwing her a tip or a recommendation as she beat up and tore apart training dummy after training dummy, but after two days straight even her antlered fox companion was beginning to grow tired of it and worried for the young woman. Briar wouldn't give herself any slack, not even when Marigold tried to assure her that she had plenty of justifiable reasons to be behind on her training if she really felt like she was. The Fatalis Princess knew she needed to be better. How was she possibly going to stand proudly next to Artorias if she couldn't even beat anyone in a spar? "Briar" | "Marigold"

It had been a while since Mortis had used the Armada training grounds, and he was feeling terribly behind on his training. He knew he should fall back into it. He had grown up on a rigorous schedule, but since leaving the Amada had let himself fall lax on all he had been taught.

He felt... uncomfortable, looking to the Armada wolves for a training partner. These were the wolves he had left behind on a whim, and he felt he could feel their judgment from the corner of their eyes.

The Armada wasn't the same pack he had left, with Sirius's attention elsewhere more often then not, and most of the wolves he had grown up with had left, vanished, or past away. He was a stranger in a strangers land.

He walked towards the training ring, wondering if the dummies Asla had once constructed still stood there. Perhaps he could have a few rounds against them... but once he was down by the beach, he realised he wasn't alone. He leaned against the barroks wall, and watched Briar for a moment, as she threw herself into her training. She looked fierce and determined, and watching the younger wolf give her best managed to put a smile on the Winged Wolfs face. "Hey... Briar." He said softly, letting his voice carry along the ocean breeze.

A voice calling to her made her freeze in place mid attack, her claws stick in the dummy she was ruthlessly going after. She glanced over at the wolf that she hadn't realized was there and her turquoise eyes fell on the unmistakable form of her brother. The last time they had really interacted was when she was a small pup playing under his wings, but she remembered him being at the funeral of their mother clearly. She definitely hadn't expected to see him here and she had been far too lost in her own head to notice him appear next to the barracks. Despite how dark and gloomy her mood at been just moments before, she felt a grin pull across her lips as she pulled her paw free of the dummy and trotted over to her brother. "You're back!" she exclaimed as she tapped his chin playfully with her nose, her tail wagging gently behind her. She stepped forward to press her chest to his and embrace him tightly for a moment. With her sisters being absent or distant at best, losing their mother and brother, being back here instead of in The Hallows with Artorias, and Asla busy with her new pups she had found herself increasingly lonely during the stints of time she was here so even just seeing her brother here helped a lot. Maybe that was one of the reasons why her loss had stung even more than it should have. "I'm really happy to see you, Mort," she told him truthfully as she took a step back to look up at her brother, a little smile pulling at her lips. "What have you been up to?" She was oblivious to why all her older siblings were so distant and scattered, not knowing what had driven them away. It had just been a fact in her life that her brothers were absent that she had never felt she could really question. "Briar" | "Marigold"

A grin came easily to the young girl, and there was delight and happiness at seeing him. He wasn’t sure what he had expected, but it wasn’t really that. The acceptance, and gladness to have him back. The Armada didn’t really feel like home any longer, and he had expected that awkwardness to show in his reunions.

She poked his chin with her nose, and teased a smile free of his gloom as he looked down at the younger wolf. She was growing so fast! Would she be as tall as Mortis by the time the year was out? Taller?

She leaned into him, and pressed back into her. Unfurling his wings, and closed them around either side of her, wrapping her into the soft appendages. “Hey, Briar. It’s good to see you, too.” he said softly. At her question, he found a bit of heat in his cheeks. “I… I needed to find myself Briar, but I’m back now.” He promised, knowing fate had pulled him back to Armada, to his family. To his promise to Tamsyn, to watch over his father.

He looked at the young girl, and raised a paw to tap her chin lightly, and his grin shifted to a frown. “This scar is new, little one, what happened?”

"Speech"

Briar smiled when Mort curled his wings around her and she was more than happy to snuggle into him for a moment. It reminded her of all the old times they'd play when she was really little, back when things were way easier and far less complicated. Back when she didn't have to think about things like her family falling apart or feeling like she wasn't good enough to be with the boy she loved or wondering if she'd ever find something she was good at. Back before things got so complicated. She wished she could go back to just playing hide and seek in Mortis' wings and still being proud of being an Armada Princess and the Warlord's daughter instead of feeling like all the pressure of it was going to squish her. "I'm glad you're back," she told him honestly, "I hope you found whatever it was you were looking for."

When he tapped her chin and asked about the new scar on her neck, her ears flicked uncertainly and she glanced away from his face. She hadn't had to talk about that night since she told Artorias what happened and she had kinda hoped she could keep it that way, but she couldn't just not tell Mort. She trusted her brother and maybe now that it seemed like she was going to be in the Armada more frequently, at least for a while, it would probably be good to have someone else who knew so if she had another nightmare she wouldn't have to worry about bothering Aslatiel all the time. "Oh, um.... I was with dad after mom's funeral and he had a nightmare. He bit me really bad. It was an accident though." It felt like she was trying to make light of it and maybe she was, but it was still something that stuck with her even now.

"Briar Fatalis"

Had he found it? He wasn’t sure he did, but time had run out, all the same. The pressing responsibilities had returned to him, just a little more hollow than they had been to benign with. No Zee or Azure to share them with. He dismissed thoughts of their lost family, knowing wallowing any longer would only hurt those around him. “I’m glad I'm back too, Briar. I missed you.” He admitted.

His frown deepened when she told him what had happened. What their father had done. Nightmare or not, it was no excuse. Mortis could never imagine hurting those around him, awake or asleep. He pulled her closer to him again, his wings drawing her in close. “Where are you denning these days, Briar?” He asked gently. If she said with dad, he was going to see what he could do to whisk her away. He couldn’t leave her in the den with him, not after hearing that, and after what Tamsyn had admitted to him. So much to worry about, but protecting his siblings… that came first. For them, he would take on even the scariest man in his life, if he had to.

"Speech"

Briar felt herself getting drawn in tighter against her brother after she admitted what happened with her father to earn this scar and it was easy to just let herself hide away in his wings and protective hug. There was a part of her though, the part of her that had pulled her to the training field in the first place, that felt weak for doing so. She liked finding comfort here with her big brother, but at the same time she felt like it was just more confirmation that she wasn't strong enough to face all of this on her own and she wasn't strong enough to be who she wanted to be.

Just as her thoughts started to skew into the darker places that they had been in lately, Mortis pulled her back for a moment, asking her where she had been staying. "Either with Aslatiel or in her star den... More often the star den these days since her pups were born," she replied, her ears flicking. She still hadn't made or picked a den for herself even though she knew her older siblings had moved into their own dens or were given them for their birthday when they were her age. Everything this whole last season had been so derailed and torn apart that she hadn't even had the heart to mention their birthday again to their father.

"I'm okay though. I'll... I'm going to build my own den," she insisted with a nod. "I haven't really felt the need to since I've been staying in The Hallows with Artorias so much, but... That's not going to be happening any more so... I guess I better make one here so I'm not taking up Aslatiel's space any more." Not safe with their father, in the way with Asla, too heartbroken to be with Art... Nowhere felt right any more. She started to pull away from Mort, trying to shove all her emotions back into the little box they had been in as she quickly added, "I better get back to my training, Mort."

"Briar Fatalis"

Briar went on to explain how she had been staying with her older sister - older to Briar, younger to Mortis - and in the star den their father had once made for the girl before she had decided on the path of a warrior instead of one who wanted to study the stars.

She sounded hesitant when she mentioned building her own den, and about having stayed with Art for a time - had her and Art gotten close? - but then admitted it wasn’t going to be happening again. It was a lot of information all at once. She had denned with Asla, felt a little sidelined, was trying to find her own space. Had found some with Art, but that hadn’t worked out either for some reason? It sounded like his little sister was getting tossed around a lot, a second thought. Man, if that didn’t feel familiar.

She began to pull away from him, and he released her slowly, gently. He shuffled a foot, trying not to look or feel awkward. He was an adult now, he was responsible and all-knowing like adults were supposed to be. Right? “You know… I always liked having a full den, and it’s weird now with just Hika. Would you want to maybe den with us? We can dig you out your own section for privacy, but my home, wherever that is, is your home too Briar, always.” he said gently.

“What’s the sudden interest in training?” he didn’t remember her as being training-originated when she was younger, but then so much had changed while he was gone. He felt sorrow for what he had missed.

"Speech"

Briar blinked up at Mortis with surprise when he offered her a space in his den with Hikaru, the offer catching her off guard. She didn't know the other male very well - or at all really - but she loved Mortis and really just the idea of having somewhere to be was really appealing to her right now. It was certainly a lot better than feeling like she was floating aimlessly while she continued to try and figure out where she would land. The feeling of her wanting to be independent and find her own feet didn't really go away, but in this case she let herself give in to the help extended to her. "Yeah, I'd like that," she replied after a moment, giving him a small smile. She didn't want to be a burden any more, but if she had her own space off of his den where she could kind of come and go as she pleased then at least she wouldn't feel like she was in the way.

As she got back to her paws and began to move back toward the training dummy she had been in the middle of destroying when he arrived, he asked what had suddenly gotten her so interested in training. She paused somewhere between her brother and the training ring, her ears flicking back as her smile faded. She didn't really know what to tell him. She didn't want to admit how much she had been struggling, how much of a failure she felt like she was, how absolutely shattered she was inside because of what she felt like she had to do to Artorias. "I've just... been trying to get better at my fighting," she told him, not really lying, but not telling the truth either.

"I haven't won any fights," she added hesitantly as she continued on toward the training dummy again, standing in front of it without looking back at Mortis again. "And I lost in the first round of the tournament so... I just..." She shrugged, looking down at the sand between her feet. "I'm just trying to be good at something."

"Briar Fatalis"

Morts grin grew, something bright and optimistic when Briar agreed. It wasn’t everything, but it was a start. To bringing his family back together again, to rejoining them, reunderstanding them. He might not know this briar like he did the pup, but she was giving him a chance to get to know her. He would take it.

He moved closer to the training dummies when she spoke, taking in her words. Sirius hadn’t given the second litter as much undivided attention in training as he had the first, had he? Life seemed to have gotten in the way, and she was missing something with the Warlord. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, those training days had been… brutal.

He wouldn’t do that to her, but perhaps he could offer her something. “Training with a dummy can be good, but a body is so much better. Why don’t you show me how you approached your fights, Briar? Let's have a slow-battle and examine what happened.” He offered. Thanks to Seers training, Mortis had rarely if ever lost his fights. If he could give a little of that knowledge to Briar, he would.

"Speech"

Briar looked up at Mortis with surprise when he offered to help, asking her to show him what she had done in her fight and go through it slowly with her. Briar vaguely remembered Asla offering to train them once upon a time when she was still really little, but other than that she couldn't really remember any dedicated lessons on fighting. She had just been figuring it out as she went and doing lots of training on her own, picking up things here and there from watching others. He managed to put another smile on her face which had felt difficult to do these days, her tail wagging gently as she gave him a nod.

She repositioned herself a bit to stand facing him better, pulling the memories from her most recent fight back into her mind. "Well, in the fight with Avantika at the tournament, I started like this-" she said, getting into her usual defenses with her ears back, her shoulders rolled forward, her head lowered to be even with her spine, and her paws placed so that they were in a stable position and ready to go. "Then I ran at her like this-" Briar retraced her steps, not running full speed like she had in the fight since she was more just doing a recreation than actually attacking. "And then I turned and went for her scruff." She acted like she was bouncing to Mortis' right side, turning so that she was perpendicular to him, and then pretended to reach for his scruff the way she had with Tika.

"Briar Fatalis"

He was patient as the younger wolf positioned herself in front of him, setting her defenses with a good familiarity. She ran at him in slow motion, understanding instantly his desire to break the fight down into manageable chunks to analyze. The winged boy nodded. "A good, strong entry, straight on the offensive." He said, bending his head down slightly to let her grab his scruff. "How tall is Avantika in comparison to you, and what was their response?" He asked. Since he hadn't seen the fight - a fact he now regretted - she needed to walk them both through it.

He would do his best to analyze it for them as they went, and see what he could do about crafting different responses in her fights. To be unpredictable. He would give her an edge, if he could. A part of him wanted to tell her that it would be okay- that he would always protect her. He didn't, he knew it would cheapen her experiences and what she had gone through. Besides life had proven it was unpredictable and dangerous in unexpected ways. She needed this, so he would give it to her.

He asked some follow up questions about Avantika and what she did and Briar thought back for a second. "She's shorter than me - around the same size as Ophelia I guess. I got her scruff and then she turned her head and bit at the lower part of my neck, by my throat." She pointed to the general area at the bottom of her neck, between the beginning of her throat and her shoulder blade. "I tried to claw her cheek to make her let go, but she didn't right away and then when she did she knocked me to the ground and pinned me down right as I was going to let go of her scruff."

Hopefully that was a good enough explanation. It was hard to describe all the actions in a fight - especially when she didn't really want to think about it. That fight had led into what felt like the worst night of her life so it was pretty painful revisiting it. But she didn't want to turn away Mort's help when she was so desperate to get better and make herself feel like she was worthy of the name she wore and the boy she loved. "What do you think? What should I have done differently?" she questioned, taking a small step back to look up at her brother.

"Briar Fatalis"

He hunched down to be shorter then Briar. Luckily, she was one of the wolves that had shot up in height and he didn't have to squat too far to be shorter then her. He held his wings tightly to his side, assuming her opponent hadn't possessed such a weapon. He gently bit at her neck as she indicated the other wolf had done so. Now, they stood with her teeth in his scruff, and the squatting heir with his by her neck. He carefully kept his elongated fangs away from her, and was mindful of her scar.

She went to take a step back, but he gently tugged at her fur with his teeth. If she pulled harder, he would let her go. He only meant it as an indication for her to stay. "A fight moves quickly, I get that. You have to consider before hand everything you have available and how you might use it. Close quarters like this? What do you have. You want to loosen her footing, and distract her to other parts of her body. push your weight into you bak paws, dig them in to keep your balance" He instructed the smaller wolf. He had let go of her neck to speak, but kept his teeth close to her skin..

"Now, think of the weak parts on my body. The sking between my toes, my ankle. try scrapping your claws between my toes, or hook your paw behind my ankle and pull. you want to weaken my balance, befofe you try to tug free of my teeth. Then, the second you let me go, and before I can tackle you, lower your antlers. its hard to tackle a wolf when they can skewer you." he hooked his teeth gently into her coat again, indicating for her to pay it out.

Briar listened to all of Mortis' advice as they hung in place with her teeth in his fur and his hold on her fur briefly released for him to speak. She soaked it up like a sponge, noticing how much more tact and skill his suggestions had than how she usually approached fights with suggestions to go for weaker points to give her a better positioning in order to utilize her antlers as an extra line of defense. Instead of brute force and frantic attacks it was smarts and strategy - which she really liked. She waited for him to resume his hold on her again before she put the plan in action, moving quickly and more realistically this time around since this was no longer a recreation, it was a correction for how things should have gone.

She hooked her paw around his ankle with her claws pricking his skin - not wanting to really hurt him of course - and then yanked out hard so that the joint would bend just as she was pushing her other paw into his side and letting go of his scruff, almost launching her self off of his back and pushing him away at the same time. As soon as she landed back on her feet she hopped back to put just a bit of space between them and immediately lowered her head so that her antlers were poking out toward him and the center of her defensive stance.

"Briar Fatalis"

Once he was in place, Briar took action. Replaying the scene from her tournament spar, but acting out on his advice instead. She swiped at his paw, and he let it take him by surprise. Letting her yank his paw forward, and tossing his center of gravity askew. When she yanked her fur from his mouth he was scrambling to balance himself and didn't put up just resistance from her pulling free.

Once she was free, pushing herself off him, she recentered herself and lowered her head, horns facing him. He snarled, and playfully swiped at the antlers. "If I was Avantika I wouldn't have stood a chance." He promised. He didn't mention how the style she used reminded of battles between their mother and father. So similar similar it hurt. But Zee had proved that someone small could take on someone the size of a Warlord of they had the heart to. He swallowed down his emotions and fall back into his battle stance. Rocking lightly on the balls of his feet. "Alright, now every fight is different, but your antlers give give an edge. Always make sure you can get space between you and your opponent to lower them if you feel like they are harrowing you. Put them on the defensive, do your best to skewer them. Your antlers lowered makes it harder to get in close to the rest of you. Let's have a real fight now, yeah? Try and beat me."

Briar wore a little grin as Mortis swiped at her antlers, insisting that Avantika wouldn't have stood a chance. For the first time in a while that fun she used to have fighting came back and even though she kept up that defensive, fighting stance across from Mortis there was definitely a thankful, happy look in her eyes. Fighting and training had become a source of pain and sadness recently, making her feel like she was just running and circles without making any progress. Maybe she just needed a nudge in the right direction and Mortis was being a great source of that for her. If anything she wished her brother had been around more before now, but she was just happy that he was here now when she really needed him.

There was a little bit of nervousness that flared up in her gut when Mortis insisted on a real fight now, daring her to try and beat him now. With so many losses under her belt it was difficult to go into any fight and not immediately assume that she was going to lose this one too, but she quickly tried to squish those fears. Even if she did, she was going to learn something, right? At least, that's what she tried to tell herself. "Alright, but don't let me win!" she warned him as she readied herself to start the fight. She still couldn't shake the idea that Gossamer had let her win their spar and she didn't want a repeat of that worry on her mind.

Briar shoved aside her hesitating and her fear, jumping right in instead. She leapt toward Mortis, taking his advice to heart of using her antlers to her advantage. She went for his chest, stopping just short of actually stabbing him with the the pointed pieces of bone, and instead used them as a bit of a shield to keep him from being able to reach a bite toward any part of her neck or shoulders, tipping her head and angling this way or that way depending on where he tried to reach. Meanwhile, she tried to reach her clawed paw toward his, wanting to scratch along his leg and paw.

"Briar Fatalis"

Mortis gave a sharp nod of understanding. He had learnt that lesson with Asla, who had scolded him something terrible when he had taken it easy on her. The fight started in earnest after that, with Briar leaping forward, antlers out. Now they they were fighting, Mortis flared out his wings and arched himself to his full height. Going for intimidating as she brought her antlers to the fore. He grinned at her, quick and easy as he lashed out with a wing in an attempt to smack the side of her head, going around the wings. It was an advantage of reach reach most wolves did not have. In order to give it his all as she deserved, it meant utilizing that strength.

Her paws scratched against his front legs and he pranced to the side, flicking his wings around her head again in an attempt to confuse her sensors and distract her. He started to bring his weight forward to pounce her, but then halted half way through the motion. Almost toppling over as he rebalanced himself. "Did you hear that?" He asked, looking over Briars shoulder in concern. "That sounded like a Saber cat." They hadn't returned to the Armada since that night the camp was ambushed...