Oh man, it was finally starting to warm up, huh? Esti had gotten up a little before the sun, stretching and then going on patrol. On her way around, she made sure to brush up against some of the bushes to get off some of the clumps of loosening fur. Definitely Spring. Before long, everyone in the pack would be shedding terribly. After patrol, Esti had managed to find something of breakfast as the sun poked up over the horizon. The prey had been spry, and the catch had been difficult. She needed to start working out more now that it was Spring. Speaking of Spring, Esti's season would soon be in full swing. She wondered if she could will herself to just... not. Shaking off that thought, Esti brought her mind to the pack. Several members had gotten promotions, including her son. She hadn't seen many around since then, but that was partially her own fault. She could end that, here and now. Tipping her head back, Esti called for a fight training. It wasn't mandatory, but she had been thinking of trying one. She knew she had grown stronger. She had grown... something. The rest of the pack needed to work together so they could be ready if they were ever needed. Even if everyone was doing great in their training, it would be kind of fun anyway. The call was already out, so it was too late to take it back now. Taking a breath, Esti found a small hill and sat at the top of it. ""

OOC: This isn't mandatory obviously. It was approved by Laz. I'll be posting on the 15th or 16th, so if you wanna join, get in here by then please!

Birna eyed the little pup that was currently nestled in a den just outside Imperium's pack border. Rhys had dragged the sickly thing back home and now she found herself unsure what to actually do with the pup. They'd managed to convince Integra to help with the lure of practice and branching into general medicine but she knew they'd have to bring this matter to Valentine soon. Birna had checked several routes, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of the parents while she'd been out patrolling. Nothing. It certainly seemed that the pup… what was the name again? Dagmær? Well, it certainly seemed she'd been abandoned. What a pain… Slipping from the den Birna yawned, shaking out her coat. She wanted to crab about this newest distraction that was taking up more of her time that she cared to admit but… Birna glanced back at the den. Dammit… she was getting attached, she could feel it. She saw Integra approach with a mouthful of herbs and bid her good morning, turning the little whelp over to the other woman's ministrations. Pfft. Weren't they an odd pair? As Birna started making her way back into Imperium territory she heard the call of Esti. Hmm.. fight training? Could be worth the chance to unwind and let out a little pent-up energy. She trotted into the presence of the other. "Hello Esti, it's shaping up a nice day. Integra is attending to a patient so I'm afraid she wont' be joining us. You know if no one else show's I'd be more than happy to take you in a one on one." Birna grinned. Esti was every bit her equal, excelling as she was and she was just itching to see who would come out on top.

Einarr had been sulking about since Avalon’s claiming. He hadn’t felt right. Hadn’t felt comfortable being in Imperium after that. But he stayed, waiting for the moment his actions that day were questioned. He knew it was going to come sooner or later... But no matter what happened he would not regret his actions that day. Before packs, before alphas, his loyalty was to his mother. It didn’t matter if Akemi was part of Sonticus or any other pack... He loved her. Nothing was going to change that. Not a feud, and certainly not Valentine. But that wasn’t to say Einarr didn’t respect the slate man. He had put his mother in her place {as much as the tan male didn’t want to admit it}. He hadn’t gone to see her since that day... But he prayed that she was safe with his stepfather and Tiny within Sonticus. The whole situation just left a sour taste in his mouth. It was the waiting that was really killing him. Not knowing what was going to happen from here on out... When the call for fight training came Einarr would rise. It would be a welcome distraction from these obsessive thoughts. Casting a glance towards Imperium’s borders the young man would head off in the direction of the call. He didn’t know the owner of the voice... But surely he couldn’t be too hard to pinpoint the owner of it. He’d arrive just in time to see hear the silver and white female speaking to another. Ahh so this had to be it then. He’d give a small nod to Esti, remaining silent for the time being. "Speech"

Mieu thought that he’d done really well in his spar against Ash. It had... Scarred him when his friend spoke about fighting. About him possibly not being there. But since then Mieu was excited. The young man was hoping that he could get better in fighting... Maybe then the leader’s leader would let him leave the lands like Ash was allowed. He had gotten lonely before when Ash wasn’t around... So Mieu had decided there was only one thing to do; make more friends within the pack. So when the call went up in the air, rather than ignore it like he’d done previously, Mieu would get to his paws to answer it. He was eager to arrive and see the members of the pack gathered in one place. He wasn’t sure if they would all show up... But he was excited all the same. Maybe Ash would be there too! Even if he wasn’t Mieu was determined to have a good time and try to make at least one new friend. He would arrive to find three other wolves present. One of which was the reaaaally intimidating tall lady who had put his sister in the dirt. Mieu made sure to keep a distance away from her, ears perked and blue eyes shining as he looked at Esti. “Can I join you guys?” The tiny male asked, hoping that he wouldn’t get turned down right from the get go. ""

OH! What what? A call for a fight? What? Lykos would visibly perk up, his tail wagging behind him as he stared in the direction of the call. He wanted to learn! He wanted to join in! With only a glance back at the direction of the where he thought his den was (he had wandered a bit by himself), he would bolt towards the call, running as fast as his little puppy legs could take him.

He skidded to a stop, chest heaving, far from the first to arrive. He glanced around wildly, but he couldn't tell at all who called it. He did, however, notice that everyone was... tall. But he was getting taller too! There was one smaller than him, though, and he looked a lot older. Huh, interesting. Glancing around at all the adults, he waited to regain his breath before asking, "May I please learn?" Oh, how he hoped! He was starting to hunt, he wanted to start to fight!

"speech"

Rhyme would not hesitate to come racing towards the call as it was made, his nine month old body nearly completely covered in mud. He'd come crashing down the knolls, racing from the mud puddle he'd been obsessing over. The call was from Esti, Ash's mom right? He'd see her pretty plainly as well as another tall form.. Birna! He'd squeak in excitement as he came to a stumbling halt in front of one of his favorite wolves. "Hello, Birna!" He'd try to withhold his excitement and be polite, but he couldn't help his tail wagging. He really wanted to learn fighting from the woman, and now that he was so much taller maybe she'd finally let him. He wanted to tell her all about the fight he'd gotten into with Rhys, and how he'd beaten her for farting on him, but his bright gaze would find the much smaller form of Mieu. Had the boy shrunk since he'd last seen him? He wasn't sure if he wanted to ask. After their last game, he hadn't really known how to approach the other wolf. His ears would fall to his head as he gave a polite nod to the russet form as he found a seat. Much humbled and more calm than he'd been when he first arrived. ""

She'd heard the call, and while it wasn't mandatory she figured it would be a good chance to integrate with others of her pack that she'd yet to meet...which was well...everyone. The woman was sticking firm to her decision about Dragon's punishment, but would it be at all fair to keep him from learning something that was crucial to survival? Would it be her fault that he missed out on training because of his mistake? She battled with herself for a moment, then decided to call for him and her other children. As soon as Dragon emerged from the den, Avalon would be stern with him. "You're only allowed away from the den for training, and as long as I'm with you. Got it?" A silent nod was given from her son before the pair trotted off to find the gathered group. As soon as they arrived, she walked over to Lykos who was already present, and she was proud of him for being such an eager learner. While he probably wouldn't be happy that Dragon was here, it didn't mean that his brother had any free reign. "Your brother will be joining us, it wouldn't be fair to keep him from training too." She whispered to him before sitting, indicating for Dragon to sit on her other side. Her long fluffy tail curled around her paws as amber gaze looked at the others. She only recognized one she'd spoken to, little Mieu. The others she'd recognized vaguely, but they were still strangers to her. "Talk" "You" Think

He'd heard the call, and yet he sulked in his den. With his head laying on his paws, he groaned as he thought about the fun that could be had. Why did he have to get lost and go so far? It was a fun adventure while it lasted, but as soon as he was brought back, momma had punished him. The orchard got soooo boring! He wanted to go explore like his brothers were doing! Rolling over onto his back he groaned loudly, and very exaggerated. It was then he heard his mom calling for him and his other siblings, and as soon as he heard it he rolled back over and sulked out. What now? Was she going to tell him he had to sleep in a hole? Take a bath?? Oh the inhumanity!!! But what she told him was something unexpected, and he found himself nodding quietly as he followed her. When they arrived, he saw lots of wolves who were all mostly taller then him, and then...Lykos. Flattening his ears, Dragon kept to his mothers other side as his green gaze looked at the others. He knew Lykos was upset with him for having wandered off, but so what!? So he'd broken a rule and gotten in trouble, at least he got to explore and brag about it! With a wagging tail at seeing all the new faces, he sat down with his mom and waited to see what would happen. "Speech"

For once Mercy wasn't the first to arrive. That was for one very good reason though, that being that she didn't really like the wolf who called. She hadn't been in a fight since that yummy grey male she had fought, and it was about time that she got back to work. But she had delayed showing up, she didn't want to be the first to arrive and have Esti think that she was eager to be with her. She disliked the woman for taking her brother away from her, there was no other reason but that. Mercy was a petty woman, and she did not like to share. Especially not her brother. Grumbling, she rose to her paws and squeaked through the mud, wrinkling her nose as she tried to avoid the worst of the melting snow. Ick. The brown substance coated her paws, and she wanted to stop and shake it all off. But soon enough she saw the gathering group of people who wanted to join, a brow raising. Seemed like they were all eager beavers, it hadn't been that long since Esti had called. Of course Birna was there, she expected nothing else from the warrior woman. She had a lot of respect for her, and inclined her head in a greeting -- even if she happened to look her way. She spotted Avalon there with a few of her kids, and smirked playfully at the woman. "Did you come for a rematch?" she asked softly, playfully bumping against Avalon's shoulder if she passed. Sure, they hadn't really talked that much, but they had fought. That was all Mercy really liked to do, so she felt slightly bonded with the older woman. Next her purple eyes glanced over the young ones, not paying them too much heed. She instead settled her gaze on Einarr, her elongated tail flickering behind her a few times as she left Avalon's side. Trotting over she aimed to also playfully bump against his upper leg, her face slightly more solemn. She hadn't spoken to him since she had watched his mother take on Valentine, and before that their fight. She blinked a few times at him, but said nothing else, just leaning against him slightly as she looked at Esti. The woman who called the training only got a tiny curt nod, before she settled in beside Einarr. "SPEAK!"

Art by endless-adventure

Simurgh heard the call, but she had been lurking near the den, Dragon, and their mother. The femme had felt sorry for her brother. Sure it was his fault that he had wandered off, getting lost and getting punished... But in a way Simmy envied him. He had the courage to go out and do what he wanted, rather than be restricted {at least previously} to Imperium’s lands. She knew mama was mad, so she didn’t try to speak up for her brother about letting him off punishment early. Besides, would her mother even listen? Maybe she was doing the right thing by being quiet.

But with Dragon being punished things were borrrrrriiiing. Simurgh had been off by herself, collecting rocks and other such little things. She had learned that leaves weren’t so good to collect... Sticks weren’t too bad though. She just had to pull off the leaves if they had them. It passed the time, and Simmy had decided that she really liked collecting things. Once Dragon was officially off punishment maybe she’d show him her stash of cool stuff.

At first, when she heard the howl, the girl had ignored it. It wasn’t until she saw her mother going past with Dragon in tow that she had any real interest. She’d glance at the stick she’d found, staring at it for a long moment before deciding to take it with her. She could always move it to her store later.

Carrying the stick firmly between her jaws she’d trail after Dragon and their mother, arriving to find a gathering of wolves. She’d plop next to Drag, setting the stick down and whispering quietly. “What’s going on?” She wasn’t sure she wanted in on whatever it was... She was just here cause her family showed up. Most of them anyway.

Hati's heavy head jerked around at the sound of a call, the call of a packmate summoning them for fight training. His lip curled, resisting, unwilling to be given training by some whelp of hardly any rank at all. It wasn't required he answer - but the opportunity to sink into battle and lose himself, even for a few shallow moments, easily won out over his reluctance. Besides, would not Valentine prefer he attend than not? He slunk to the group, tension written thickly on his heavy form, and he slouched down with stiff shoulders far behind the outskirts of the gathering. It seemed much of the group was made up a great deal by pups rather than adults, and a faint growl rumbled in his chest at the sight in protest. He hadn't come to be subjected to the presence of a bunch of clumsy, whining children, he had come to sink teeth into flesh, to tear and be torn. Not to tiptoe around a fragile pup so that its mother didn't get offended.

Cascade grinned to hear the sudden melodious tones of a meeting being called. As a ranking wolf she was glad to hear the pack stepping up to take an active role in things - as an inveterate rogue she was delighted to hear something interesting to get into to defeat the constant creeping boredom. She'd let Chaos decide for himself if he was going to answer the call from where ever in the pack lands he was currently wandering; at three seasons old he hardly needed her nagging him about everything and she already had him going on patrols with her anyway so he could make his own decisions. Trotting up to the gathered wolves she flashed Esti a grin. "Hey, Esti! Getting antsy were you? I'm glad you did, I could use a good distraction." She wasted no time at all in flopping down to the damp ground and stretching out to stare at the taller wolf with an expectant, mildly goofy smile from where her head rested on her crossed forepaws to wait comfortably for Esti to begin.

Oh dear, he was not the first to arrive. After his acceptance battle, he felt he had to improve his fighting - it didn't matter if it was not his specialty. He had to improve. So he found himself here, loping towards the call gently... to find he was one of the last to appear. Joy. With a sweeping glance, he noted the appearance of several pups, with many of them appearing to be... ah, yes, Avalon. The children of Avalon, no doubt. Another glance and he'd spot... a bear skull - what? attached to a wolf, no less, why? - and then also Cascade. With only a moment's of hesitation, he'd move to sit near her, nodding in greeting to the others gathered and to her.

Esti sat and waited, expecting a few pups to crawl in and ask the basics of fighting. Esti was wrong. She thought a few adults would show, but not like... a million wolves. Okay, so it wasn't a million, it was twelve- thirteen counting herself- so not quite half the pack, but it was more than she was expecting. Birna was the first to show and earned a sharp, toothy grin, "We'll see, I might take you up on that anyway," she remarked before another showed. Following, was Ash's... friend(? Slave? Thing?) appeared and asked if he could join. Before she could answer, one of the new girl's pups came in and asked to learn too. Esti attempted a slightly less sharp and toothy smile, "Of course, we would be glad to have you two training with us." Esti made the remark, looking at one of the newest Valentine pups as he cozied up next to Birna. Two others trickled in, the new girl and another of her- how many did she have again- pups. Then Mercy showed, which surprised Esti the most. Her eyebrows raised as she arrived, but she was able to lower them quickly. She exchanged words with the new girl and then gave Esti a nod. Esti returned the nod with a small smirk. Esti still didn't know what to make of the woman, after all. Two more... Ah- Cas. She asked if Esti was getting antsy and Esti nodded, "Been too long since the war. It's boring being all healed up BEFORE getting new wounds. Makes walking less painful- and thus- boring." Last was another boy who she wasn't totally sure who he was again. He sat next to Cascade and she raised a questioning brow. Surely Cascade hadn't taken a boyfriend recently. After a few moments, it appeared no one else was going to show up. Esti cleared her throat and got started, "Okay, in case you don't know, I'm Esti. I called this fight training because we could always fight more and get better at fighting. We have to be ready and all. Also I was bored and thought yall might be as well. So, it appears we have some little ones with us. I'll go over some fighting basics, refresh our memory for those of us who might not have fought in a while, then we can get to the fun part and actually fight each other. While I'd encourage yall to act like it's a real fight, I- by some obligation- need to remind you that in spars we don't actually maim or try to kill each other." Esti looked across the crowd. They mostly all seemed to still be there, which was good enough for her. "Okay, so does anyone know how many defenses you should aim for in a fight?" Esti paused, looking at the pups, "As many as you can, of course, but usually if you can count ten, that's enough. What are ten defenses? I want answers and demonstrations. If you are an experienced fighter, please share your experiences with us." Esti looked pointedly at Cascade and Birna. She needed them to participate so that maybe the pups would participate and everyone could learn and not get super bored by her blabbing all the time. ""

OOC: Four rounds to be a real training and get points and stuff so just bear with me. Also optional spars will happen at the end. Next round due MONDAY the 25th. They can be short responses, reactions, questions, whatever.

If it wasn’t for Mercy eventually showing up Einarr might have left the meeting sooner. He would breathe in once her attention came to him, meeting her gaze silently with red-violet hues. He was certainly in a state, his mind bouncing back and forth with what Valentine might do. Though unsettled and shaken, he would give a small nod to Mercy and the slightest smirk. He was trying to play everything off fine, but his mind wouldn’t leave him be. It was as the rest of introductions were being said that Einarr decided he’d had enough. He couldn’t find himself settled in the crowd... He had to get out of there. Casting a look to Mercy he’d whisper; “Rain check I’m afraid. I’ll catch you later.” With that he would get up, strolling quickly from the meeting. --Exit Einarr.-- Ooc:: Decided since I’m not sure how this Valen / Einarr thread is gonna go to just make things simple and cut him out of this thread. Sorry guys! "Speech"

Rhyme would ajust his stance to look more proud as the number of wolves increased. He'd feel excitement build in his chest at the prospect of learning, but he really wanted to get into a real fight. He and Rhys had sparred before, with him being the victor. Rhyme liked to smile about that fact, but wouldn't bring it up to his sister. She was a sore loser, and he wasn't keen on getting his nose chewed on again. He'd shake those thoughts from his head as Esti started speaking, and he'd let his focus linger on her. "Ten, Esti!" He'd say as she paused, his dad had taught him that one. While she looked to his betters to demonstrate , he'd offer what he knew as well. Lowering his ears to his skull, narrowing his eyes, and opening his jaws. His hackles would raise as he spread his legs apart, bent his knees, and evenly distributed his weight. He'd spread his toes, dig his claws into the dirt, and align his tail with his spine and neck. Looking all too proud of himself he'd find his gaze back on his teacher for the day. ""

Mieu felt excited, felt proud as he was allowed to join in with the others. He was practically bouncing on his paws he was so excited. He’d glance towards the other youths who had come, to the pups. He spotted Rhyme near Birna and he’d feel his mood shift slightly yet again. Not only did the woman intimidate him but he hadn’t exactly left Rhyme on the best terms last time. He would breathe in and then out slowly, letting his gaze focus back on Esti. It seemed that the first order of business was going over defenses for fighting. Rhyme would be the one to chime in the answer, followed by demonstrating some of the defenses that Mieu already knew. Summoning his courage the boy would speak up, glancing again more towards the pups than the adults that were present. “Right! Uhh... So Rhyme has his ears pinned to his skull. This protects them from getting bitten or torn off in a fight. Narrowing your eyes helps protect them too... Whether from the dust of battle or the attacks of your opponent.” Mieu would shift on his paws. “Spreading your legs and distributing your weight helps you keep balance, and bending your knees helps you be ready to move.” Was he talking too much? Should he shut up? He glanced at Esti now, wondering if she’d pick up where he left off or if someone else might. ""

Birna was pleased with the turnout. Quite a few wolves had gathered though as Esti got the meeting underway it became clear that the initial portion of the meeting was geared to the younger members or those that were new to fighting. Birna sat back to let the young ones answer. She grinned as Rhyme spoke up but for the most part remained silent. If Esti required a partner for demonstration she would readily volunteer but for now she would watch the other woman address the youth. Her eyes widened just slightly in surprise at the voice of one of the slaves, Mieu if she recalled correctly. Well, well, good to know he was studying. If he proved to be a valuable fighter and a hard-worker he could work his way to freedom fairly quickly.

Hati bristled when the meeting took an immediate turn to teaching the babies to fight. What the fuck? He hadn't shown up to drag the little brats along with him. Now they'd be stuck with this beginner's shit for hours until the awful snot nosed creatures could finally stand properly. He scowled with outrage at the rodents jumping in all eager like it was some sort of game and they'd get a pretty ribbon for participation. He scowled especially at Valen's eager beaver and a growl bubbled up. What was this? What the hell was this? He was supposed to keep Valentine's kids alive and this was what he had to work with? "What are you dropping your mouth open for, runt? Catching flies? Gawping like that's a good way of getting your jaw snapped back. If it isn't keeping you from getting parts ripped off it's a waste of effort. Close your trap until you're ready to take a chunk off someone else. Keep your whole muzzle tucked down if you're trying to hide your throat, not your jaw."

Ten? Lykos hummed to himself, eyeing Rhyme and Mieu for a brief moment. Instincts, instincts... what did they say? His limbs spread almost naturally, the knees bending and his ears laying flat. His eyes narrowed. Waht else? That was when a growl disturbed him - and a snarling rage of a monster in a skull got noticed by him. The boy would jump back, lips peeling back to reveal sharp fangs, claws digging into ground, hackles fluffing up, staring at the wolf in front of him... who was actually growling advice. Swiftly, the boy would do that, tucking in his chin - though his teeth remained bare. His tail would curl over his back in an almost dominant position, completely inaccurate as he watched Hati and Rhyme and Esti.