It felt like the days were passing by her faster and faster. It felt like it was just yesterday that she was giving birth to their two youngest and already she was bringing Malico out for a bit of training. It was still too early to learn any refined moves or skills, but a bit of tumbling around was always good for building dexterity for a young pup's muscles. Besides, she was always eager to teach her children how to use the gifts given to them to the best of their ability and when it came to something like their retractable claws that were not necessarily instinctual to use for a wolf.

She led Malico out to a open area in the Rock Garden, deciding it would be more fun for the young boy to go off of the island for their lesson than going to the obvious option of their training grounds. This way he got to get out for a bit and see more of their territory while also getting to spend some time with her and get in some exercise and practice. She turned to face him with a little grin as she settled down on to her stomach in the grass, lifting her paws a bit so he could see them more clearly. "Can you show me your claws?" she asked, flexing her own toes and revealing the sharp, retractable claws that were hidden in her tiger-like feet. As always when she was talking with her son, she made sure to speak up a bit and say them clearly, always thoughtful of his limited hearing.

Manea | Temno | Ciemny

Malico trots next to his mother, happy to be out and having one on one time with her. Truthfully, the pup has been out this way twice now, with both times ending with him taking on predators. However, the boy doesn’t want to let her know that fact since he is still uncertain if he can be out this way by himself. Trailing slightly behind her, the pair make their way to an open area of the Rock Garden and mom turns to face him. Tail swishes lazily in anticipation as his eyes automatically move to her purple lips, ready to catch any words his ears might miss.

Her voice reaches him, dulled by the crystals in his ear canals but still easily understood. Turquoise eyes trail to her paw as he watches her flex her toes and the hidden claws appear. Taking a deep breath, Mal seats himself across from his mother and brings up one of front paws to stare at. Eyes squint as he wiggles the tiny digits, willing the claws hidden within to appear. Sharp black claws spring out as his eyes widen in surprise and glee. Turning his gaze up to his mother, the pup lifts his paw a little more to show her the black obsidian claws he has been gifted with.


"Malico Mendacium"

Manea watched with a small, amused smile as her son focused on his own paw, obviously putting all of his attention into the task she gave him. After a few moments and a few wiggles of his little toes, his black, obsidian claws appeared. She grinned proudly, her tail wagging gently behind her. "Good job!" she praised, chuckling softly as she lightly clicked one of her own claws against his. Lowering her paw, she told him, "Those are going to be very helpful and important as you learn how to fight and defend yourself. The sooner you start mastering how to use them the better!" She flexed her own claws a few more times, letting him follow her lead as he practiced the muscle movements to extend and retract his claws and learn what that movement felt like. Manea gave him another grin after a few moments of this and then asked him, "Do you want to play a game? We'll count down from three and when we get to one you have to get your claws out and whoever has their claws out first wins, okay?" She waited a moment to make sure Malico understood the rules of the little game she came up with and then grinned as she counted down. "Three... Two... One... Claws!"

Manea | Temno | Ciemny

Malico watches his mother intently, noticing the way she flexes her paw to make the hidden weapons appear. Then, it was turn and, with some effort and concentration, the pup makes his own obsidian daggers appear. A grin curls his lips and, as he shows them to his mother, her words of praise are met with a few wags. Tail thumps the ground and, as his mother lowers her paw, he mirrors her action, allowing the claws to return home as he listens to what she says. Nodding in understanding, the boy wiggles his toes against the ground as he tries to get used to the feeling of them.

Turquoise eyes meet and Mal asks, “Will it take long to get use to them? They can feel… weird.” Grimacing as he admits that the feeling can be a little unsettling to him, he gives a small shake of head to banish the sudden thought of never getting use to them. Her query of playing a game has the pup’s eyebrows shooting upward and he nods excitedly, eager to hear the rules. Simple enough and very straight forward, just the kind of game he likes. Paws shuffle slightly on the ground as his tail thumps behind him, eyes focusing intently on his mother’s lips so he doesn’t miss the countdown.

As she counts, Malico’s body slowly stiffens, readying to lift his paw and flex so that his claws will spring into being. As the word claws forms on her lips, the boy swiftly lifts his right front leg, rotating it around so his paw faces upward while attempting to flex the muscles that attach to his claws. Eyes blink as he looks to his mom, wondering who has won this battle of the claws.


"Malico Mendacium"

To her son's concerns over whether or not he would get used to his claws or not, she gave him a reassuring smile and nodded. "You will, my love, I promise. These kind of claws are just unique among wolves so your instincts don't quite know what to do with them. It takes a little training and work, but soon enough you'll build up those habits and the muscles that control them and it will feel as if you were always supposed to have them." She flexed her own claws again as if to demonstrate the ease with which she used her own. "I had the same feeling when I was your age, but I got used to them very quickly and I have no doubt that you will too."

As she shifted into their little game, she enjoyed the excitement her son showed at the prospect of the simple game, grinning as he readied himself for the countdown and watched her with close attention so he wouldn't miss a word. She counted down slowly and had her paws at the ready, but when she got to actually extending her claws it ended up with Malico as the winner. Whether or not that was because she was distracted with Malico's adorableness or because she secretly wanted her boy to win this little dual she would never admit. Instead she just grinned and laughed lightly, retracting her claws so she could reach over and playfully ruffle the fur on the top of his head with her paw. "Well done! One of these days you're going to be an even better fighter than me with those claws!"

Manea | Temno | Ciemny

Malico watches his mother, tail lazily wiggling behind him as he watches her mouth. He gives a small nod at her words about getting use to them and questions, “If wolves aren’t supposed to have them, then why do we?” At that question, his mind turns to his crimson counterpart and he quickly adds, “And if we have them, why doesn’t Mar?” Brows furrow as he tries to deduce these things on his own but is quickly distracted by the game. The boy puts all his attention on his mother’s lips as his body stills, waiting for the word that will separate the winner from the loser.

As she begins to form the word claws, Mal is moving, flexing the muscles that make the daggers appear and is reward with being first. Eyes round in surprise as the boy really did not expect to win and looks between his claws and his mother’s. Tail thumps the ground hard and a grin tugs his lips up as she reaches out to playfully ruffle the fur on top of his head. In return, he gives a happy growl. Without warning, he lunges up to capture the retreating paw, easily wrapping his forelegs around her slender ankle and pulls it back toward him.

Once in range, he feigns a bite before licking her toes, growling viciously as he does all while his tail beats out a frantic rhythm on the ground. The boy’s obsidian claws remain firmly in his paws as he holds her leg.


"Malico Mendacium"

Manea smiled a bit as Malico asked a couple follow up questions in their conversation about their claws that were common among their family, but unusual in the whole of this world's population of wolves. They were questions she had grown used to answering even for her younger cousins, nieces, and nephews before she had a family of her own and one that she was always happy to answer since it often branched into larger conversations about their heritage and beliefs. She didn't think that they would be getting into the deeper details of those things today, but it was an easy, understandable way for the pups to understand what made them so special.

"We have them because we are lucky enough to have these gifts from the Ancients and the souls we inherited from them. Not everyone's gifts are the same, but a lot of times it will be things like our claws or the horns that Avacyn and I have or your dad's long, thick coat. Things that set us apart and give us even more ways to be stronger fighters and better hunters and smarter intellectuals. That way we can continue to make the Mendacium family big and strong for many years to come." The question about why his sister didn't have the same kind of gifts as the two of them was a little more difficult to answer, but she eventually added, "While you are equipped to be a fighter and a hunter like me and your dad, Mariah was gifted in other ways. She's bright and learns quickly and has a gentle touch for healing. It's less tangible, but a very important gift all the same, don't you think?" Of course she would hope that all of her children could have a plethora of gifts, but as long as they were happy and healthy she really couldn't ask for much more.

As she went to ruffle his fur, Malico made her laugh lightly and grin as he reached up and attacked her paw, making her tail wag against the grass behind her. "Oh, you wanna fight, huh?" she teased, chuckling as she turned her paw to scoop Malico and roll him onto his back, using her toes to tickle his belly. Part of her always wished she could keep her pups this small forever, but then she thought about Avacyn, Saracyn, and Fia and how proud she was of the wolves they were becoming and she couldn't wait to do the same for Mariah and Malico as well.

Manea | Temno | Ciemny