The Warlord gave his newest wolf a few days to settle in and meet some of his wolves. He knew she would have a long way to go before she was a fully contributing member of his pack. But so far, he had heard her to be agreeable and obedient. Which was both good and bad. You needed to be able to bend as a pack wolf. Especially one so far down the chain. But if she didn’t find a back bone, she would be swallowed in the Armada.

Today was about helping her find that. He made his way back up the mountain path to his home at the end of his patrol. Dawn was just breaking over the horizon. He and sleep had never been on good terms, and it had only gotten worse with the death of Zee. He scratched at the door to the room he had given her. “Adelina?” He called out softly.

"Sirius Fatalis"

Adelina was a light sleeper. It was a survival mechanism of sorts. So when she heard the approaching movement outside the threshold of her space, it was the sudden pang of anxiety that woke her. She pushed herself upright on unsteady paws, rapidly blinking the sleep from her eyes as the numbing sensation of unconsciousness faded away. It was then she heard the familiar tone of Sirius' voice, and she began to remember what had become of her.

Straightening up, she made her way to the door to open it. The sleep was still not gone from her silver gaze, but she was ready for whatever the Warlord had in mind. On the other side of the door, she was met with an individual who had been seemingly awake for some time now. It left her with the sinking feeling that maybe she had missed something. "Good morning, Sir." She greeted him softly, looking off to the side in a force of habit.

“Good morning” He responded. Seeing the way her eyes slid past him. He didn’t comment on it, knowing some habits would take time to break. She would learn very quickly that her training would not get very far if she could not size up her opponent. “Today, we are going to get you started on the basics of fighting” He told her. It was almost a warning, but he didn’t feel the need to remind her that such training was mandatory.

He would not go easy on her, just because she was a broken thing. Training was necessary, and pushing her was the only way for her to find her inner strength. He had seen a spark of it, when they had snarled at each other outside of the Armada borders. He would seek out that spark again, and let it take flame. He turned and moved out of the den, and down the path to the main area of the Cole. moving then up another path, and into a wide open space. There were dummies against the wall, and a few odds and ends like scrap pieces of armour on a stand to the side. “Self defence will be the main lead for today. We are going to go over the postures you need to memorise until they are second nature for your body. First, stand like me” He told her. Spreading out his paws, digging in his claws as he squared his shoulders and fanned out his tail.


"Sirius Fatalis"

It seemed that she hadn't missed anything. However, when he went on to describe what his intentions were for the morning, she kind of wished she had. A feeling of her heart plummeting in her chest consumed her, but she was quick to follow him- offering a verbal agreement as they went. "Yes, sir." Adelina answered, trying not to allow her nervousness to taint her tone of voice. She took special note of the direction they traveled off the Col, as she suspected there wouldn't always be someone to guide her to the training area. Adelina glanced around the space, panning over the different things that lined the walls. But Sirius was quick to get things started, so her attention landed on him as he spoke.

How he asked her to stand went against a lot of what had become muscle memory for her over the years. She naturally carried a lot of tension in her shoulders as a self-coping mechanism. But by spreading out her paws to make a larger base- the stance forced her to square up her frame, and she hated it. She gave it her best shot, though. And while perhaps it wasn't quite where she was supposed to be with her footing, it was a lot different compared to her usual 'mousey' posture.

Adelina felt like a fish out of water. She glanced back and forth a couple of times between Sirius' paws and her own. She flexed her toes in her back paws, and front left paw, but that was the best she could muster. With clear question to her expression, she sought out Sirius' face for a moment before looking away. "This doesn't feel right." Even if the stance was correct, she wasn't sure it would feel right. But that was beside the point.

The Warlord held his stance across from her. Giving her a chance to look him over and attempt to mirror it in herself. He watched as she spread out her weight, and he could instantly see how uncomfortable it made her. Good. pushing her out of her comfort zone was a good thing. She made an attempt to flex her claws. It was clear she would be able to do it with her maimed paw. That was okay, he couldn’t ask for any better there.

Once she was in her stance, he straightened his own and made his way over to her. He walked from one side to the other, moving in front of her face as he studied her stance. Wordlessly, he nudged her back paw with his own, forcing her to spread it a little further until he was happy with it. “Good. Now, flare your…” he looked at her rear end, and docked tail. For a moment, he was completely thrown off course, and his expression darkened. “This… This was to make it easier to control you, wasn’t it?” He said darkly. He remembered that feeling that had first overcame him when he had seen her injuries, and it wasn’t rage. But that was before she had become his. Before he’d allowed some measure of forgiveness to enter their relationship.


"Sirius Fatalis"

Well, if it wasn't satisfaction, then at least it wasn't disappointment. Sirius came closer, but she remained as still as she could. After a moment of an examination of sorts, he circled around to her side to nudge a back paw further out from beneath her body. She was reluctant but didn't resist the repositioning. Once he was willing to accept what she had to offer in footwork, it seemed that he was going to make another correction. Until he realized there was nothing left to correct.

When his tone changed, she nervously glanced back to him- not willing to move the paws that had just been successfully aligned. But when he asked about their chosen method of control, she understood- looking away once more. "Y-you could say that." She responded hesitantly, the hint of shame present in her tone. It simply came with knowing that whatever he imagined, whatever vague words they used to describe her absent tail, he likely knew exactly what that particular maim was for without having to say anything at all.

In that moment, she heard a different voice. You can't tuck what you don't- but she clenched her eyes tight- her muscles going tense as she shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of the voice that wasn't there. Once she had taken the moment and had convinced herself the memory was gone, she made an attempt to relax again, silver eyes blinking open as she returned her attention to her paws. It was in the past. "What's next?" Adelina asked, not really wanting to move on to more fight training, but also not wanting to linger on that experience more than she had to.

He knew what she meant. He knew why they had done it. To stip her of her dignity, and any illusion she had of defending herself. All the more reason she learned to fight. She belonged to him now, and Hell help anyone who tried to hurt her. Anger burning through his veins, thick as molasses, he made another round circling her. His steps were controlled and careful as he appraised her stance. He saw the way she cringed into herself, and made the assumption that her memories were bothering her.

“The point of holding yourself this way is to keep yourself balanced, controlled, and ready. You want to make it difficult for an opponent to grab something, or knock you off balance. This is the core stance of a trained wolf, and you will practise falling into it each day until it becomes familiar to you. Until your body calls this stance its natural position” He said, voice a brisk order. Then he turned, his eyes finding Bast who stood by the entrance. “Head to my den, and grab the sheep's coat from the top rack. That should be about her size.” He ordered. They had taken her tail, they had stripped her of all defences. So he would make her a coat, a second skin.

He turned back to Adelina. “Defence will only get you so far. Your strongest defence is offence. You need to learn to strike first, and strike hard. You're small, and lighter than most wolves you’ll meet. We need to learn how to use that. I want you to stalk a circle around me. As you move, consider her balance and defences, don’t let them slide because you’re concentrating on something else.”


"Sirius Fatalis"

While she heard his explanation of why a defensive stance was so important and listened as he defined his point. She felt that she was a very long way off from calling this a natural position. It wasn't going to take a lot of re-education for that to be true. And while she stood with her limbs locked into the placement that he found satisfactory, the near-invisible tremors of anxiety that ran through her rigid frame could be picked up on by a careful eye.

It took a moment of consideration before she realized his next command wasn't meant for her. With a flick of her ear and a hesitant panning glance, she found Sirius' feline companion, just as she disappeared to complete her task of retrieving a coat of sorts. Presumably for herself, judging by the context of the Warlord's words. But it was difficult for her to fathom what use it would be. Though, she wasn't given much time to think about it, before Sirius' attention was right back to her and their initial training session.

He explained how defending herself wasn't going to be good enough. She didn't quite know what he meant by that, because defense was hard enough for her to imagine on its own. As he implied she would be expected to attack someone, it left her at a loss. When he went on to explain their next drill, she wanted to buckle then and there from the stress of her mental blockade. How was she going to force herself to comply? "S-Stalk?" Adelina knew what he meant, but couldn't begin to break the conditioning of her previous life. Her focus fell to the space of ground between her paws. If this was balance, she didn't know how to maintain it while moving, and she had a feeling that the narrow base and hunched shoulders that she was comfortable with weren't exactly what he had in mind.

He watched her carefully for a moment, and could see her uncertainty and hesitation. He watch, and waited, but she did not give it an attempt without him first offering an explanation. “Yes.” He said shortly, and began to move. “Consider me prey. “ he instructed her as he began to circle around her. Falling into the slow, predatory movements of a careful hunter. His balance as he moved was perfect. Keeping his gravity low, and head a little lowered. “You keep moving, to stand still is to become an easy target.” He told her.

That was not the tactic for himself. He preferred brute strength, and muscling in on his enemies. But she was tiny, lithe and could be fast with a little more meat on her bones and strength in her legs. He did another slow circle about her. Stalking, prowling, as he demonstrated the right movements. Then Bast returned with the cloak, and he fell out of the stance and moved towards his companion. Grabbing the coat in his teeth, he returned to Adelina and threw it over her shoulders. Fastening it at the front. “This will offer you some protection. Especially with the lack of muscle and fat on your bones. Warmth, too, in this climate. Keep it.”


"Sirius Fatalis"

It was a very difficult place she was trapped in. The part of her knowing that she should comply to what her current instructions were, and the part that had be conditioned into doing exactly the opposite of what Sirius was asking her to do. She chanced a look up to observe him, only to return her attention to her paws a moment later. She didn't think she could ever consider him prey. Gritting her teeth, she took a staggering step forward, walking with an uneven gait in a way that loosely resembled what she had been shown. Without having her joints locked into place, the trembling happened more freely. But she did her absolute best to try and control it and certainly didn't want to acknowledge it for fear of upsetting the Warlord. Her movement likely appeared uncoordinated and held more resemblance to a prey animal pacing the boundaries of a rounded pen, but it was the best effort she had to offer at her first attempt.

Adelina didn't stop until the motion of the re-entering companion broke her inconsistent progression. As Sirius returned to her with the cloak that had been retrieved. She stood still as it was thrown over her shoulders and fastened at her chest- it was a remarkably heavy covering, or at least more so than she had expected. She did look up then, to offer her gratitude. "Thank you." She was appreciative of the gift and wanted to say more to assure him of it, but in the end, decided against it for her overwhelming feelings of uncertainty.

Instead, she forced herself back into the pacing gait to avoid lingering in one spot for too long. It wasn't comfortable, but she did know she wasn't supposed to avoid being stagnant in this exercise. Adelina couldn't help but wonder how upset he would be if she never became a decent fighter.

The coat fit her well. He had made it as an extra for one of his growing kids. She was so slim, that a child's coat fit her well. If he managed to get her to fill out, he would need to get her something new. Unbidden, an image of his Wife flashed before his eyes. In her later years, before his last litter had been born, she had been so gaunt. Scarcely eating, and letting the flesh melt from her bones. He shook away the image before it could consume him.

She started a slow shamble walk. Her legs were tense, and it showed in her jerky stride. But she was trying, there was no denying that. He watched her for a moment. Watched the way she circled, uncertain, and uncomfortable. He needed to push her a little more. Inch her out of her comfort zone. He knew just the way to do it. He stopped moving. Holding himself still, and loose. “Alright, now close in. pick a target on my body, and go for it. I want to see some teeth. Draw blood. That’s an order, Adelina” He said, his voice lowering into a husky growl. Trying to beat the resistance he fully expected.


"Sirius Fatalis"

As she orbited him in her attempt of 'stalking', she maintained an easy pace. Never slowing, or speeding up. Always remaining consistent to the best of her ability. It was easy to forget that she was supposed to be doing something more than walking.  However, with his next instruction, it all came to a crashing halt. "W-w-what?" Adelina looked at him with silver eyes widened in surprise. How could such a thing even be considered? She so badly didn't want to tell him no. To refuse him would go against what had been ingrained into her. But what he was asking ... simply wasn't something that she felt she was capable of. Adelina looked away, slowly shaking her head as a child might offer a silent 'No' without actually saying it until she had to.  "Sir ... I can't." She said, barely audible in the space between them. Weakness was ever present in her tone, and she absolutely hated the words as they came out of her mouth. But she would much rather submit herself to the consequence of refusal, than attack her superior.

He attempted to provoke her to an attack, but fell short at her stunned expression and denial. He sighed. Training was going to be very short lived if she could do nothing to attack back. Perhaps if she would not initiate, then she would defend. He began to walk, stalking towards her. “If you will not attack, then defend yourself ” He ordered, his voice a snarl as he broke into a run, closing the distance between them in two short strides. Aiming to collide his shoulder with hers.

She was a little wee thing, and he very carefully balanced himself to use only a fraction of his strength as he did so. He was attempting to provoke a response, not to break her.


"Sirius Fatalis"

From where she stood, she noticed movement in her peripheral. She only dared to look at the Warlord when he snarled a different order. Defend yourself. With a sudden spark of fear in her gaze, she immediately clenched her eyes as tightly as she could- tensing her muscles to brace for impact. That was all the preparations she could make before his momentum was transferred to her, sending her staggering back from the confrontation. Adelina fought to keep herself upright, but it was nearly all she was able to accomplish. “S-Sir!?” The smaller fae answered in a pleading tone, not knowing what else to say.

It suddenly occurred to her that he had commanded her to keep moving. Out of fear, she hustled forward in a quick, uncoordinated step. Her attention fixed to the obsidian brute as she was caught between conflicting instincts- trying to avoid looking at him for too long, and looking at him long enough to try and anticipate his next attempt to get her to engage.

He pushed, and she moved. For a moment, he thought she would simply collapse beneath the onslaught of his careful movements. That spark of life he had seen in the mountains was a difficult one to kindle, but he felt a little hope as she staggered back without falling. “You're more than this, Adelina.” He growled at her, in answer to her softly pleading tones.

Then she was moving, shuffling awkwardly across the arena floor. It wasn’t much, but it was something. Pride flared in his eyes and he grinned before stalking towards her again. “Your best defence is to keep moving. To stop is to die, Adelina” He warned her, knowing that if she let herself give in to her weakness in a real battle, she would be gone in a heartbeat. That was the reason he was doing this. Why was he willing to scare her, and force her from her comfort zone. She belonged to him now, and he would not allow her to give up.


"Sirius Fatalis"

Being the object of disapproval gave a twisting sensation of anxiety in the pit of her chest. It wasn’t just the ingrained mentality that she had been forced to adopt in her time before the Armada; she genuinely didn’t want to upset the warlord either. But at the same time, what was being asked of her was impossible- so she believed it to be- even if he didn’t realize it now. It was impossible in the sense that she had no idea how to conduct herself, and had endured a lot for this subservient state of mind to be constructed. He growled at her- that she was more than this. His tone caused an involuntary wince, but the truth of the matter was, she couldn’t remember how to be anything other than this. Whatever this was.

Soon it was no longer her just hearing his voice echo in the back of his mind, as he repeated himself, projecting his lesson through the arena. Reminding her that she needed to maintain movement to keep her life. She felt a touch of relief that she had remembered in time without having to be scolded again. However, she was a long ways off comfortable. She was certain that he was going to make another attempt to get her to engage. How she was going to handle that, she didn’t quite know yet.