The little prince and princess were growing quickly, and had gone from little beans to scampering paws underfoot. He did love to hear the sounds of their laughter fill the fields and castle walls, even if it found a little pit of sadness in him, as well. There would always be the what if, if his life had only gone a little more along a different path.

But, he knew to anchor himself in the here and now. He wanted to help offer these pups the best advantages they could have. What was that saying? It took a village to raise a child? With Arts permission, Mercury would find himself heading towards the plains, and calling for any of Briar and Arts children to see if any of them wanted a lesson in fighting.


"Mercury"

Thorn was hanging out at the beach directly behind the castle, running along the shoreline, stick sword in his mouth.  When the waves went away he was simply running on wet sand but when the waves returned his his paws and a bit of his lower leg got covered in water.  The boy had figured out it took more energy to run in water and was using this to train, to build up strength.  He wasn’t going to lose in any races and against Talysa or anyone else.  Would this also help him fight?  He hoped so!

At Mercury’s howl and offer for training, Thorn turned tightly, switching the leg he put the majority of his weight on to keep the turn sharp and fast.  Thorn kept running for a while but there came a point his gait slowed to a walk as he had to get some air. When he did reach Mercury the boy dropped his sword, a pair of sticks that were tied together with vines.  A moment was taken to catch his breath before speaking up, “Hi! You’re going to teach us to fight?  What kind of fighting? Are we biting or slashing or what?”

"Thorn Carpathius"

The purple pup is out wondering the plains, trying to wrap her head around why there seems to be so much sadness around her parents as of late. It feels as if they are hiding something terrible from the pups. As Andromeda silently muses, her pale blue eyes watch as her toes appear and disappear from her view, and frown slowly tugs her lips down. Why would they hide something from them? Aren’t families supposed to work through things together? Thoughts tumble through her mind as she turns over her observations from the past months, trying to piece together what the big secret could be.

A howl pulls Andy from her musing, causing her head to lift and gaze to roam over in the direction from where it came. With a sigh, she begins to trot to where the wolf called for Briar and Art’s children hoping that she can slide in unnoticed. Maybe this will help take her mind off things anyway. Mom being sick and the secret her parents are hiding has been tearing the young girl’s mind apart. Right now, she just wants to be a pup and enjoy the pretty day. As she arrives, she spies Thorn and his stick sword, offering the boy a grin before placing herself as far in the background as possible and hunching her shoulders to appear small.

Best. Camouflage. Ever.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

The Carpathius girl had been wandering the gardens when she heard a familiar voice on the wind. Her eyes brightened as recognition flashed through her mind. And in instant, she was gone. Racing away from the courtyard, leaving the castle behind her.

Once out in the plains, she immediately spotted the shadowed silhouette of her friend, as well as Thorn with his sword, and Andromeda a little ways off. She offered the other girl a warm grin of acknowledgment before going to sit front and center in front of Mercury. Thorn had already launched a series of questioning, but none of it really appealed to her. Fighting in general didn't appeal to her. But she was here to learn all the same. "Mercury!" Talyssa greeted, beaming with a friendly light. "What are you going to teach us today?" Her mind immediately falling back to the wreath that she had made with him.

Fight. That was all that Dusk needed to hear in order to put herself in the proper place at the proper time. The dark child was determined to be the best fighter that The Hallows had ever seen. She would destroy the opposition. She would obliterate her enemies. She would eviscerate and incinerate any who moved against her kingdom. ...Or something like that.

Upon arrival, Dusk noted that her other siblings were there as well. Why, she didn't know. She'd always thought that Talyssa was a pacifist and Thorn, well... he didn't need to learn anything. It was a waste of time because she was going to be the best. Tromping to the front, Dusk bumped shoulders with Andy, flashing the purple girl a smile before turning her attention to their teacher. Of course she had no idea that Andy was trying to remain hidden. It wouldn't matter anyway. Dusk was the daughter of the Aegis and Queen. If she said that Andy could stay, then Andy could stay.

"Dusk Carpathius"

The first to arrive was the very enthusiastic Thorn. “Hello, yes, and you’ll see.” He said with a friendly chuckle, grinning at the black and blue wolf, and glanced down at the ‘sword’ the boy had strewn together with sticks and vines. Hmmm. He would consider what he could do to get the boy something a little better. But that was a thought for later. His eyes moved to the young purple girl as she slunk to the group, hiding behind Thorn. As she tried to blend in behind the crowd of one, Mercury realised his mistake and gave a soft chuckle. “You're welcome here, little one. What’s your name?” He said, attempting to encourage her out of her place behind Thorn.

“Good morning, Talyssa, I’ll get to that in a moment” he promised the friendly tawny pup that arrived next. He first wanted to see if there were any other pups… ah, yes. The little black dust mite. The dark wolf made her way to the front, and kept her silence. Mercury let his eyes rove across the pups for a moment. So small, and determined. “Alright class. For those of you that don’t know - “ the purple pup was the only one he didn’t know in the group “-me, I’m Mercury Ermis, a Knight here. [b] “Now, there's a wonderfully even amount of you here today, so I want you to pick a partner and pair off. Face each other with a few feet between you. I want you to consider the wolf opposite you. Their height, their build. I want you to think of what stance your opposite should take, and what would benefit them. Ready, go!” he said, watching the pups.

"Mercury"

Thorn’s head swiveled as he watched for others to approach.  They needed to hurry up and get here so the lesson could start.  Sitting around wasn’t helping him train or learn anything new.  Thankfully it didn’t take long.  Hey! It was Andy!  Thorn gave her a smile fading off with a bit of curiosity that she was staying in the back.  The blue boy was about to ask but then he spotted Taly coming.  He hadn’t expected her to come to a lesson on fighting but as she asked what they were teaching he got the idea it was a misunderstanding.  Hopefully, she stayed despite a fighting lesson!  

Thorn saw a black shadow approaching.  Oh goody, Dusk was showing up.  What was she doing at his lesson?  Thorn refused to let Dusk get stronger than him so her showing up here was less desirable though not unexpected.  He had to train harder than her so however tired Thorn was after this he’d need to train more.

Mercury mentioned partnering up and Thorn’s first thought was Dusk.  They’d probably fight, right?  Then he could prove which of the was best.  Well, he could fight Dusk anytime, and besides, there was something even better.  Thorn grabbed his sword and made his way to Andy, hoping it would be a fight and that he’d get the challenge of someone who surely had more experience.  The boy stood a few feet away from Andy, regarding her thoughtfully.  

So he wasn’t supposed to think about how to defeat her but how Andy should try to beat him? Thorn grinned at the antlered lady.  The horns certainly stuck out as a weapon she could use.  Did she prefer using the antlers or her teeth or claws?  Thorn tried to imagine if he had antlers, would it be like having swords attached to his head?  No, the horns didn’t look sharp on the edges.    Would she attack in any special way? “head even with shoulders, one paw forward. Um, hey do you use your horns to fight? Like jab with them?”

"Thorn Carpathius"

The purple girl tries to hide or blend in with the green grass since the big slate colored wolf had called for newest litter of the Hallows and she shoots Thorn a grin before hunching over in an attempt to hide. However, the big guy spies her (dang it) but is nice and says she is welcome there. With a whoosh of air, Andy releases a relieved sigh and straightens up, shoulders relaxing and tail even giving him a small wag. At his question she softly says, “My name is Andy, sir. Andy Fatalis. Thank you for letting me stay.” A small but warm smile appears on her purple lips before others begin to show up.

Pale blue eyes turn to find Taly approaching and the warm smile is happily returned with many wags of her tail. The earthen girl moves to sit in front of their instructor and her gaze follows after her until a little black cloud bumps into her shoulder. Turning her head to spy Dusk beside her, Andy offers her a broad grin and happy wags as she passes. All pups she knows and all friends to boot. This is going to be fun! The big wolf speaks up and she turns her attention to him, offering him a smile as he gives his name.

Mercury lays out their task and she nods, immediately standing and waiting for one of the Carpathius siblings to pick her. Honestly, Andy thinks she will be picked last since they will probably want to pair up with family. To her great surprise, a more than a little relief, Thorn and his sword approach her. Wide pale blue eyes blink at him as she tilts her head, a thankful smile on her lips. Quickly, she assumes her defensive stance and allows Thorn to assess her. She levels her head with her shoulders, shifting her more dominant front paw forward a little as he talks.

His next suggestion has her eyes widening as fumbles for words, stammering out, “Well, uh, I haven’t used them yet. They are still growing in and can be sore. You… think I can use them?” Zee had talked her about horns and using them in battle but Andy has not actually tried to use them yet. Part of her thinks it might be unfair to, so she hasn’t. As Thorn squares off with her, Andy tilts her head and runs her gaze over him.

With confidence she says, “If you are going to use your sword, you should spread her front legs a little wider so they are under your shoulders. Better control. Stick your tail out straight so it is aligned with your spine and grip the ground with your toes… like this.” Spreading her front legs, Andy then sticks her tail out behind her and spreads her toes before flexing them grip the ground. Slowly, she settles her center of gravity lower until she feels comfortable and stable. She explains as she moves, trying to help Thorn understand exactly what she is doing and why.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

It wasn't long after she had arrived, that her sister, Dusk, showed up as well. She watched behind a pale blue gaze as the obsidian fae stomped her way to the front with blatant disregard for the rest of the group- except Andy, who was acknowledged with a shoulder check. Talyssa's eyes briefly narrowed at the disturbance before returning her full attention to Mercury.

In response to her greeting, the larger man promised that everything would be revealed shortly. She would just have to work to contain her excitement for a little longer. When it became clear that there were no other puppies coming to answer the call, he began. Mercury introduced himself as a knight of the Hallows, and she couldn't help herself but to call out a question from where she sat. "How did you become a knight?" The fawn and white fae asked with genuine curiosity. She wasn't too interested in fighting but was intrigued by Merc himself. "How long have you been here with Momma and Daddy?" She asked again. Not really caring whether the requested information was relevant to the lesson or not. It was just the questions that popped into her mind.

When he asked them to pair off though, she was aware that Thorn and Andy had gravitated toward each other. So, she would partner with Dusk. As far as size went, the two Carpathius girls were very similar, however, the sparing thing didn't come naturally to her. "I think if Dusk was coming to beat me up, I would just run away." Talyssa giggled as she stood up on clumsy paws to face her sister. Not sure of exactly what was being expected of her. "I have no idea what she would do if I came for her." The entire line of thought was ridiculous because she would never challenge Dusk. Also, she didn't think she could predict her sister even if she had to. "But I think it would also end in me running away."

Dusk had wanted to be paired with Andy since the two already knew a bit of each other's fighting styles, but Thorn snatched her up first. The dark girl wrinkled her nose then turned and went to sit with her sister. Talyssa launched a million questions at Mercury and Dusk rolled fire opal eyes. This was fight training, not conversation training. Jeez...

When the task was delivered to them, Dusk nodded, understanding what was asked. She listened to Thorn and Andy, then when it was their turn, Talyssa went first. Her sister's response brought a giggle from Dusk, one paw going up to cover her mouth as she did so, little shoulders hunching. Tal admitted that she would run from Dusk if the other girl came for her and, frankly, that was a smart thing to do. However... Dusk was fast.

When it was her turn, Dusk looked Mercury straight in the eye."I would never attack Talyssa." The obsidian child spoke clearly and truthfully. "We protect family. We don't hurt them." She remembered her father telling them about their grandmother, Resin. "Our grandma that's dead, she said we have to protect our family. So I wouldn't hurt Tal, but I'd hurt anyone or anything that tried to hurt Tal." The girl tilted her head, one brow lifting as she continued to stare at Mercury. "Does that make sense?"

"Dusk Carpathius"

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Andy. Feel free to join any lessons I make while you're here” He said, making it clear the offer was a blanket cover. When he called for pups, he would turn none away. Talyssa started in on questions then, and Mercury looked over to her. “Your father knew my fighting abilities and granted me the position. I’ve been here… well, Briar was pregnant with you when I joined.” He said, giving her a warm smile.

Mercury watched as the pups paired off and thought over his training. Thorn was the first to move, snagging Andy as he set himself across from her. He took the challenge carefully, giving advice on her posture and a suggestion with the paws. “Very good start, Thorn” He said, moving to Andy as the horned girl spoke next. “your horns can be a great asset. Once they’ve grown in, they can be both defensive and offensive. You can use them to buy yourself room, or threaten your opponent” He said, making a mental note to do some research on horned wolves so he could add to his advice next time.

“And great posture advice Andy. Thorn, think about the size of the sword you eventually want, and consider the room that it requires to wield” would be his input. He turned to Talyssa, and gave a soft laugh. “Knowing when to stand your ground and when to run is a very important thing to consider. However, if you find yourself in a position where you can’t run, it’s important to know the basics to defend yourself. Talyssa, you should consider your defences. Think about what parts of your body are vulnerable, and how to defend or lesson them” he instructed her.

His attention turned to Dusk then, and his lips twitched. Children were adorable, and he loved that he could be a part of the lives of these ones. “Your right Dusk. Family is important, and so is defending them. That's actually the point of today's lesson. The Hallows is a pack that draws its strength on its whole. That’s the message I'm looking at getting across with this lesson. How to work together, and draw on the strengths of those around you. Let's say someone of your size and skill is attacking Talyssa. You aren’t there to defend her then, but you're here today to give her advice. So think of what advice you would give your family that would protect her in the future” He prompted.

"Mercury"

The lavender pup softens as Mercury talks, a small wag is given to the warrior as the lesson begins. They pair off and Andy is joined by Thorn. Mercury adds to their discussion and her eyes round as she realizes that her horns can be used both offensively and defensively. Her advice is praised and she wags happily, nodding along before he moves on to Dusk and Taly. Curious, she moves closer to listen to the girls and the advice that has Mercury offer.

Once he finishes talking to them both, the lavender pup says, “Taly is really fast. If she had to fight someone, she could use her speed to her advantage. Maybe even run circles around them.” A grin is given to Taly and Andy looks to Dusk, saying, “As for Dusk, she has claws and her bite is super strong. If I was her, I would work to get up close and personal so she can land hits. You know, if Taly and Dusk fought together, I bet that Taly could distract while Dusk hurt whatever they were fighting.”

A small nod is given as she agrees with herself. Pale blue eyes look up to Mercury as she offers him a smile, enjoying the time spent learning and getting to know all of them better.


"Andromeda Fatalis"

Dark ears caught every word that Mercury spoke and, for once, Dusk was extremely serious. She wouldn't allow anyone to hurt her sister or any of her family. Though young and a total brat, the girl already had a very strong sense of family. She would always do everything in her power to keep them safe. In that sense, the pup was more like her grandmother than she knew.

After listening to Mercury, Dusk nodded. Andy began to speak, explaining how fast Talyssa was and Dusk nodded again. Her cousin spoke of the ways that they could fight together and a grin split the child's maw. She did have strong jaws and she was really tough. Dusk didn't like the idea of using Tal as bait, but if they had to, it seemed like a good enough idea.

Dusk turned to Tal, her expression serious once more. "If you do ever have to fight anyone, call for help first. Keep your chin tucked to protect your throat. Keep your stance wide so that it's harder to knock you over. Keep your tail out for balance." As she explained, the dark pups body shifted, showing her lighter pelted sister just what she meant. "Defend yourself, but wait for an opening so you can run." Dusk then straightened herself and gave a light forehead bump to her sister. "If anyone hurts you, tell me about it okay?"

"Dusk Carpathius"

“Running away when you can’t fight is good,” Thorn chimed in to offer his own advice from the limited experience he’d had so far.  “but if the one you’re fighting is faster than you then you might need to just stall for time.”  

His gaze drifted to Dusk who added on what the blue pup had imagined on ways to be on the defensive.  “and don’t worry, if you call for help I’ll come to.  Between Dusk and I we won’t let anything hurt you.”  Thorn and Dusk were more likely to be on opposite sides most of the time but when it came to protecting family the two could call a truce.  Since the conversation had turned this serious route it seemed important that Tal know he also would be there.

“Hey, hey,” a notion came to his mind that had Thorn torn more chipper as he glanced at Mercury, “what’s your favorite way of fighting predators larger than yourself?”  His gaze slid to Dusk and Andy then back at Mercury with a look of pure innocence.  The look of a pup who would never have already found trouble and was looking forward how to do better the next time around.  “Oh, and both when you have someone with you and when you don’t.”

"Thorn Carpathius"

Talyssa listened with intent as Mercury provided insight into Andy and Thorn's match up. She always thought Andy's horns were beautiful, but being able to use them in a fight made them much more practical as well. She was even glad that they could help Thorn prepare for his sword wielding. However, she wondered what their dad would think if he was getting sword training elsewhere.

When it came time for Mercury to talk to her and her sister, she couldn't help but take things a little more seriously. It brought her a small sense of satisfaction when it was acknowledged that running was a valid option. But she would take defending herself a little more earnestly. At the question of her vulnerable parts, she wondered to what extent he was referring to. "Well, eyes are vulnerable." She answered quietly as she thought it out. "Your neck and chest are too, I suppose. Did I miss anything major?" Talyssa added.

When Andy mentioned that she was more than anything else she had to bring to a fight, which, she would have to agree with. Nodding along as she spoke. Talyssa knew she would be more likely to run than exchange blows. But if she could use that to her advantage as Andy described, maybe she had a shot at beating someone in a fight ... though she would be much happier to allow Dusk, Thorn, or Kea to fight her battles for her.

When Dusk set in to offer her advice, Talyssa admired her for her suggestions. And then in turn, Thorn had his input as well.  "Of course! I know I don't have anything to worry about with a family as great as ours around." Talyssa declared, motioning to Andromeda as well, so she knew she was included as well.

With that, Thorn asked another question. Moreso pertaining to predators than fighting other wolves. Information that Talyssa would also be interested to know. With the same intention she always had when learning something new, she awaited Mercury's response.