Basilisk gave Seneca a few days to settle into the Armada before he would seek him out. His position in the pack would eventually angle him into either a rank of hunter or map maker. Both of which would take him out of the Armada territory. Possibly even frequently. With that in mind, Basilisk knew the other wolf would need a basic knowledge of self defence.

Today, he would assess where his skills already lay there, and teach him if he found them to be lacking. He made his way up to the training cave, and stood just outside it. Lifting his head to the sky, he let out a call to summon the young wolf to him.

"Basilisk"

Seneca was exploring when he heard the Warlord's call. He hesitated. Was Basilisk really calling for him? His nose twitched and he turned to answer, his pace an even jog. All the while, his mind tumbled with what he could possibly want with little old him, of all the pack mates there were. Nervousness crept into his shoulders as he moved through the Col, easily spotting Basilisk. Even from this distance, he was absolutely gigantic. And intimidating.

Seneca swallowed hard and approached, with what he hoped was a smile on his muzzle. He looked up, up, and up. "Hi, sir." Seneca was a little confident in where they were, having been learning the layout of Armada. And this did not bode well for Seneca.

Basilisk was not left waiting long before the young hunter made his way towards the training den. He looked down at the tiny wolf, a flicker of surprise crossing his thoughts as he remembered just how small they were. He gave them a small smile, and nodded his head. “Thank you for coming, Seneca” He said, turning and head into the training den. Expecting the other wolf to follow.

Once they were inside, and moved to the centre of the room. ”It’s important as both a hunter and a navigator to have a basic knowledge of self defence. Where does your training stand so far with that?” He asked, waiting to see what they would offer.


"Basilisk"

Basilisk offered a smile and thanked him, then turned to walk into the training area. Seneca followed, though nervousness tingled along every limb, with each step. He knew what was coming, and his past experiences began to rear their ugly head. Once Basilisk was in the center of the room, he explained why they were there and what the boy's own experience was in regards to self-defense. He blinked as he watched his paws, unsure of how to politely, and in a totally not embarrassing way, say 'nothing.' Wait, nothing wasn't totally true... he had spied on as many training sessions as he could. He had watched the teacher explain things, watched the other kids spar against each other; he just hadn't done any practicing of his own. He wasn't worth the time to train.

Teal eyes lifted to look up - and up - at his alpha, swallowing before speaking in as even of a tone as he could. "S-Some, sir. What places are vulnerable and how to protect them. I -" He suddenly stopped, his eyes widening as he contemplated saying the next sentence. Would he get kicked out if he was useless? But lying, even by omission, was probably worse. He heaved a great sigh, casting his eyes to the left as he completed his previous thought. "I wasn't allowed to practice with the others. I watched some lessons, in secret. But that's it." Mottled ears fell back as he waited for judgment, intensely sad. He really liked it here.

Basilisk watched the other wolf, and listened as he explained where he currently stood with his lessons. “Not every pack believes in self defence” -crazy as that was to him- [/b]”And you're still young, plenty of time to learn”[/b] His voice was neutral, though the words themselves were encouraging.

He stepped forward, light on his giant paws. “Your stance is an extremely important first step to self defence. You need to be aware of your body and what it’s doing at all times.” he began to lecture, falling slowly into a fighting stance as he spoke, so the other wolf could see exactly what he meant. “Bend your knees a little, just enough to absorb an impact. Find the centre of your balance, and dig your claws into the earth to strengthen it. Slick back your ears, scrunch your neck, and lower your eyes. You need to lesson what vulnerable parts an enemy can reach” he continued to explain.


"Basilisk"

The judgment never came. Instead, surprisingly kind and optimistic words stunned him, head turning to look up to Basilisk again. He blinked, utterly surprised. He could stay? And learn? Seneca watched as Basilisk stepped forward and demonstrated a fighting stance. His gaze moved to every part of his body as Basilisk mentioned them - knees, body, claws, ears, neck, and finally eyes. He did his best to take in the giant wolf and understand what his Warlord was telling him. Not only did he need to balance and brace himself, but he needed to protect the vulnerable parts, too. He had practiced a similar stance on his own, but he hadn't any guidance as to whether he was doing it right or not. Well, here's his chance.

The boy took a few steps forward and attempted to mimic Basilisk. He bent his knees, adjusting his legs under his small frame so that he could feel more balanced. It took a moment, but when he was satisfied he moved onto the next step. What was the next step...? He looked to Basilisk for reference, and was quick to see what he had left to do - claws! He flexed his toes, next moving to pivot his ears back. He then lowered his jaw to protect his throat. He felt quite awkward and rather stiff, since he hadn't practiced this kind of stance for a while. After a moment, a meek question reached out to his tutor. "Like this?"

Basilisk watched as Seneca slowly and somewhat cautiously fell into the fighting stance as Basilisk taught it. He went through the motions one at a time, proving he was listening and paying attention. All valuable traits in a student. Basilisk tapped Sen’s paws with one of his own. Careful to keep in mind the colossal size difference between them.

“Now hop out of the stance, and fall back into it. The idea is for it to feel natural and your body to remember without consciously telling it to do so. The easier it comes to you, the better your defences will be” Basilisk instructed the young wolf. Before they moved on to any actual fighting, he would ensure the wolf had his defences down.


"Basilisk"