Wylan trotted into the Col. Basilisk had found him that morning and made an unusual request that he was more than willing to honour. The Warlord had told him he was heading to the Hallows, and asked him to please stay with Ignita and keep an eye on her. There was a chance she might be carrying his children, and he wasn’t ready to announce that to the pack yet. He’d told her was worried about it, and her, and to remain glued to her side the entire time. Of course he would do so. He found her in the storage rooms, sorting through the materials there. He offered her a bright and cheery smile, showing none of the inner tormail he had been feeling lately. Besides, sleeping in Iggys den meant he wouldn’t be alone. ”Hi Iggy! What are we doing for the next few days?” he teased her lightly as he came to a stop beside her. “I’m here to help you with anything you nee-- hey, should you be carrying that, here let me” he said, moving to clear her paws. She looked like she was already waddling a little. He’d never seen anyone carrying kids before, but he’d heard stories of how painful it could be. Poor thing, she already looked a little sore. "Speech"

As soon as Basilisk had left Ignita had busied herself with what felt like double the chores. Being held captive in your own den for an entire day had left a few cogs in her processes loose and a couple of holes in her crafting plans. Ach! She had to practice meditation!

She had brewed herself some of the special tea and had taken it with her to the store room to sip and make sure people were getting her organizing system. It was there that Bas's nephew found her. For the first time she wasn't entirely delighted to see him, mainly because Bas had set him on her to keep an eye on her while he was gone. How much had Bas told him? She sipped her tea and then put it down.

As soon as she heard his delightful warm voice she really couldn't be mad at all, at either of them, least of all Wylan.
"Hey Wyl!" As she talked about her plans for the next few days she picked up a load of freshly tanned leathers delivered from the smokehouse, She was about to answer him when he insisted on taking her load. She had to admit she was still a little sore from the day before, but nothing to... Her face went from confused to flat as it dawned on her. She sighed, was this going to be the norm when she was actually pregnant? She grabbed her tea and gulped the rest of it down as she pointed him to where he should set the load.

"First thing, if he told what I think he told you... I don't think I am. Second thing, when and if I do, I won't be coddled or denied my work... please." She tried to set a stern tone, but it still came off soft and pleading. When will she be strong enough to command people? She really had to embody her inner Bas for that kind of strength.

"Now, He's set for me a few tests. One of them is to master meditation, and the other is to work on my defenses. Those are things you can help me with!" She wagged her tail. "Do you know how to meditate?"

"Speech"

Wylan was quite surprised by the words out of Ignita’s mouth. The Iggy he knew was a pretty meek wolf, gentle and warm and a little shy to accept things. But his confusion melted away when he remembered that pregnancy hormones could affect a wolf's personality. That and the soreness seemed to indicate the start of changes in her. He took a few subtle sniffs, and wondered if he could detect any other signs, but he had a feeling it was too early to be able to tell anything else. He smiled at her, and wiggled his tail to ease the blow. “No offence Iggy, I love you and all, but Bas is scarier than you” he teased lightly, though his words were truthful. Basilisk had told him to keep a very close, very careful eye on her and he intended to do exactly that. “Oh, yeah I could help you with those!” he promised her, delighted to be able to be helpful. “I learned in the forest, where I could hear the sounds of the birds. I remember getting distracted by them for the longest time, until they sort of… worked their way into my mind and calmed me.” a peaceful smile flitted across his maw. "Speech"

He seemed surprised by her attempts at sternness. Ignita sighed in response to his remark about how Bas was scarier than her.
"I'll give you that." She replied shaking her head. She was grateful when he said he'd help her with her training.

"Oh the forest! Hmm... I tried it on the beach. I liked how I could focus on the waves, but my brain just likes to wander and be so active. It just wants to think through all the things! How did you get yours to accept the medition? Can you tell me? Or show me?" She asked. What was his process to meditate? She would follow along side him wherever he led.

Wylan gave her a sheepish grin, glad she was ready and willing to accept that. Basilisk was his immediate boss after all, and he didn’t want to let Basilisk down. He was also more than happy to change the subject, and move on to meditation. He sat on the floor of the storage closet and considered how to go about showing her the thought process that had let him meditate. “Close your eyes, and listen to everything around you. Take a moment to focus on it, accept that it's there, and then dismiss it.” he instructed her. He could hear the faint sound of running water from the baths, a brush of wind against the storage door. He could scent the heat from the distant water, and the scents left from the tanning process of hides. The food, metals, and other supplies also addeda to the overall stimulation of the room. “It’s an acceptance, I guess… you gotta accept whats’ around you before you can dismiss it, and that process helps to clear my mind, too. By the end of it, I realise I’m already there. [b]"Speech"

She watched him sit and mirrored it. Here? Right here? Guess she could do it anywhere. That's... not what Bas had said, so maybe other techniques helped other people!

"Ok, I'll try."
She drew in a breath and closed her eyes. She felt her breath within, rising and falling. She felt her paws on the stone cavern floor. The now familiar sounds of dripping down the cavern echoed over the walls. She smelt Wylan standing before her and the various storage items. Ooh... One of the dried meats must have gone rotten... She should... wait. She can get to that after this. Dismiss it. Her mind wandered to the other scents, and she picked up one that caught her by surprise. Bas? She opened her eyes but found them still alone. A smile still creased her lips as she settled back down. His scent was still all over her. She had to dismiss that too.

She sighed, the rotten meat smell was distracting her again.

"Lemme just get that rancid meat out of here." She said and made to fetch it from where it must have slipped from the other stock.

"Speech"

Wylan giggled as she opened her eyes, clearly distracted by a wayward smell. “Sure” Wylan agreed supportively, leaning back and watching her take care of the distraction. “Don’t be disheartened, you have to train your mind to get used to it. You're going to get distracted the first few times you do it. At least, until you find that rhythm you can fall into.” He explained when she finished throwing out the meat and returned to him. He raised a paw, and spread it out, encouraging her to take a seat again. “Really, you can do this anywhere, and the more often you do it, the more your mind will get used to the idea.” He finished. "Speech"

While she obtained the offending spoiled meat, enlisting the help of her possum companion to fetch it from under and behind something, she asked: "So why is it important to meditate? For fighters? For defense? You can't just ask your opponent to wait for a moment while you meditate."
Ah! Offensive bad meat obtained! EW. She let Idalia take it in a pail to the discard and she shook her fur out.

She nodded her head for Wylan to follow her to the baths. At least to just rinse her paws. Maybe she'll take a dip or have another quick meditation practice session there after he told her why it was important.

"Speech"

Hmm, he thought back to his own lessons. Though he was still young enough to mostly be speaking verbatim than understanding it himself. “Having the ability to empty your mind, or have control of it can mean the difference of winning or losing a battle. It helps you push back fear, and take better notice of what's going on around you.” He explained with easy patience. He hoped that made sense to her! “Once you’ve learned how to clear your mind, you’ll find it's easier to do it in high stress moments” he explained, giggling at the idea of asking your opponent to wait while you meditated. "Speech"

"Oh? You can get into a trance like meditation instantly?" She asked, washing her paws in the water. Then maybe she was going about this totally the wrong way. She was focusing on the sensations, on the rhythm of the waves, on how many things she could smell and dismiss. If this was about finding the space where she could slip into a focused state... that was a different feeling! She could get into that state when her paws were busy, like painting, and drawing, and working in the storage room, doing the chores. She knew what that felt like! but it only happened when she was being creative, but not planning.

"You're talking about flow! The Flow state! When your mind clears, and it just does the thing! Where you can dip into a focus state that is both relaxing and stimulating! I do that frequently when I'm painting, or drawing, or organizing!" She was smiling, she knew what it was she was looking for now! The reason she missed the smell of the rancid meat for so long was that she would instantly go into that flow state when things were a mess.

She sat by the pools, and took a deep breath, just like she would before she started to draw something in her mind. Her whole body instantly relaxed, but she couldn't hold it for longer than a minute before she got distracted, it was certainly harder for her to do when her paws where still.

"Ignita"

Basilisk may enter her threads without warning.

Wylan blinked in surprise, and then grinned at her. “I haven’t heard it described that way before… but everyone’s different, and that sounds right!” He told her encouragingly, standing a little straighter on his paws, and watching her intently as she finished cleaning her own. He was excited for her to try again, and watched as she fell still and silent. This time, she remained still for longer, perhaps a minute before she opened her eyes again. “That looked promising! Did you feel like you found the right place in your head?” He asked her excitedly. “My Da told me to keep finding that space in little moments throughout the day, it helps train your mind to it.” He wasn’t about to tell her that he wasn’t that great at meditation himself. "Speech"

She blinked at him and smiled at his encouragement. "I think so! It felt very calming and still. I wanted to move so much! But it felt exactly like the flow I can slip into when I'm working!" She nodded to him, find little moments throughout the day! That was probably why Bas wanted her to practice three times a day.
"Got it! Well now that you've been able to help me with my meditation, let's see if you can help me figure out those defences!" She said, "I don't want to be flailing around and defending myself in the storeroom though." She would rather her pride and joy organization system would remain untouched. Especially since she had to rebuild it after her own accident.

She decided to lead Wylan out to the Col proper. She picked a spot close to there Bas had brought her to practice before and sharply rounded on Wylan to face him.
"So he keeps telling me to brace myself, bend my knees and all that, but when I do I..." She bit her lip and looked away, "I don't know, I can't... feel my body? I... I got teased for how I sat or stood or even walked at my old home." She admitted. Bas knew a lot of her past at this point... She didn't know if she had told him that exactly but he would get the gist. Would Wylan understand? Would he be able to teach her in a way that would stick?

"How would you tech me?"

"Ignita"

Basilisk may enter her threads without warning.