ooc: this training is mandatory for all Abaven wolves! first round due 10th August He had been thinking. As the new Prima Guardia (Had there ever been one before him?), he had to bring the pack together, unite them, train them. Easier said than done, he supposed. The head fighter - that was who he was. His focus was combat, and nothing more. He could summon the pack and partner them up to conduct a spar between them. He could, but anyone could do that. Anyone could be that kind of head warrior, though he wanted to be more than that. He saw more to a battle than violence. He saw strategy and tactic, a methodical approach as opposed to one of a reckless nature. No, this training, and those to come, would be different. He had found a shady area with clusters of trees and an abundance of foliage, though with plenty of space. The day was relatively warm, but he hoped his planned activity wouldn't keep his pack-mates sweating and worn-out for too long. After a final inspection of the area, he tilted his head back and let out a call for the pack. He pushed all thoughts of doubt far back to the deepest depths of his mind. Surely enough of Abaven would arrive - why wouldn't they? "SPEAK"

He heard, and he'd respond. Abaven finally had someone of importance other then Bass? Well, about time. The smallest of smiles appeared as he made his way towards the caller. While he didn't know who it was, he knew it was authoritative. He thought about asking Bass for a challenge to rank up as well, but the thoughts that he might be getting old or maybe Bass might think he was getting old would keep him from trying. Still, maybe he would ask anyway and find out. Hansel was a fighter, always was and always would be. What was the harm in trying? Walking slowly into the clearing where the meeting was being called, he found himself to be the first one there, and of course the one who was calling the pack. Blue gaze found the brown male as he sat, an approving grin on his maw. "Well it's about time someone knocked him off his high horse." His comment was clearly a joking tone. "speech"

Karabela's mind had been ticking in all sorts of directions. For the first time in years she tugged at the threads of her mother's absence and examined the nature of the woman herself. At the moment all Raba would risk were fleeting glances. Her purpose eluded her though she was certain now she was saved to be more than just a warrior in the service of Abaven. Dare she set her eyes higher? She toyed with the idea of working toward Secondo. At the moment she didn't have enough under her belt to be considered for the rank and even then she debated if that was the proper goal. It was loftier certainly but was that really it. Maybe she was thinking to high period, who said one's purpose and importance in life was dictated by rank?

Raba reached her forelegs forward and stretched good and long as Tinaro's call for the warriors rank out. Her tail wagged lazily back and forth. Oh, now this was interesting! It'd been awhile since she'd attended a warrior meeting. Swiftly the young woman would answer the call and arrive at the, thus far, small gathering. "Hey Tinaro! How are you?"

"Speech"

Once, Lark would've thought he might be the one to hold these sorts of meetings. That was before.. everything. Before his mother had left - for the first time, before they'd learned that she'd never seem capable of being there for them afterwards. Before Finch had gotten hurt. Before Starling had abandoned them. Before all of it. He shivered, involuntarily, thinking of his own shortcomings. He was proud of Tinaro for stepping up, though, he really was - he just knew he should've done more to try to earn the spot himself. A faint sigh fell from his lips as he reacted to his friend's call, slowly rising to all fours and heading toward the gathering. It'd been ages since he'd fought, or really practiced, and it didn't sound very exciting to him today. But he would not ignore it, and his pace would quicken as he drew closer. It was somewhat surprising, when he arrived, that only two others were there besides Tinaro himself. Hansel, and Karabela, two wolves whom he didn't know terribly well. He offered them a slow nod of greeting, moving to sit by himself with a soft huff of air.

LillianA

It was... interesting hearing a call from someone whom she never expected to actually hold power. Not that it was anything against Tinaro... she just didn't see it. Well, apparently that was wrong, and as Lillie dragged herself up. She was no warrior, but, unfortunately, Tinaro called for all the wolves of Abaven. It was his right, after all, and she pushed herself up.

His call did make her think - a while ago, she wanted nothing more than become the Prima Pattuglia. She still did; she certainly didn't see herself listening to anyone else that might try to claim that rank. Humming thoughtfully, she ehaded towards the meeting; to her surprise when she arrived, there were only a few wolves present. Only Tinaro, an older man, Raba, and Lark were present. Lillianna frowned as she made her way over to Lark, greeting him with just a simple smile. She turned towards Raba and the others, also greeting them with a grin as she sat down. Once she'd greeted the others, though, the smile slipped into worry. There were too few wolves here; there ought to be more. Was this all who was left?

"speech"

html by castlegraphics

A little burst of excitement had Piper on her paws as she listened to the howl that was calling for the pack. First of all she was excited cause it was Tinaro and she quite liked Tinaro. Second of all she was excited cause it sounded like they were gonna do some training! She trotted to the meeting, but she didn't move to terribly quickly. She didn't want to get all out of breath before she got there after all and she didn't want to look like a nerd for showing up to the training first. When she got there though she realized there weren't too many there yet and she felt kind of bad. Maybe she should have picked up the pace a little bit after all. "Hi, Tinaro!" she trilled happily before she went over to sent beside Lark, settling down next to her older brother and giving him a warm grin. She had worried thoughts at the back of her mind, wondering where everyone might be, but she forced them away. She didn't want to worry about that right now. She just wanted to practice sparring! "Talk" "You" Think

Now this was something she could get behind. She hadn't been in the pack very long of course and hadn't had much of a chance to size up her new pack mates besides breifly at the last meeting. She wasn't the best at socializing or politics, but if there was one thing she knew quite well it was how to fight. Now the only thing she had to be worried about was making sure she didn't go to rough on whoever she was paired with. She had to assume practice spars weren't to the death. She smirked slightly at the thought as she walked toward the place the howl had called from, her lilac gaze drifting across the wolves that had gathered so far. She hoped picture of a pack full of fighters that Bass had painted for her during her recruitment was true. She was hungry for a good fight. Her tail flicked behind her as she settled onto her haunches quietly at the edge of the crowd. She didn't know anyone here since she didn't see Bass among them so she didn't try to sit with anyone in particular. Instead she sat where there was room and waited to see how this would play out. "SPEAK"

Art by Evelyn

All he had done was show up to meetings and the like. Decim wanted to show an effort. Abaven was his home so he had to make it that way. Whatever and any cost. As the male strolled up to the fight training he would take in a deep breath and looked around. Fellow members he knew almost nothing about but he probably should have. As the male took a seat he dipped his head towards the young wolf leading the training. Well this would be a good time to stretch his muscles anyway - he'd be able to get some sort of exercise in him. "Talk"

Ooc// so sorry for posting the rest of my chars so late!

Zell was late, yes. But he wasn't the only one. He could see and smell a group of others that were equally as late, but probably with a better reason for it. As for him? He'd just returned to pack lands after going out to explore other places, especially since the pack had fallen to nothing more then a ghost town. Still, he was a warrior, and whether or not the pack remained or fell away, he was still here. Maybe he'd do something about his boredom and challenge his way up. Maybe. Then again, he could always just leave and find something better. All this pack had really shown to him was chaos and drama, and a lack of this...Family bullshit thay Bass had kept talking about. Until he decided about what to do, he'd listen to the higher ups--or rather the one higher up they had--for now. He strode in to the group, standing near the back and waited.

He was running, almost breathless at this point. What a day to have chosen to go and find a new place to fish, just to come running back. He was a good distance away from the territory, and that was when a mandatory howl rang out. The crimson eyed fox leapt logs and bushes, fur snagging here and there as he made his way as quickly as he could. Finally when he showed up, he looked as if he's just run a marathon, tongue hanging out as he panted and breathing heavy. He would have apologized for his lateness, were he not struggling to keep his lungs from exploding.

He and Quake had been out and away for the last few days, mostly so she could see new lands and what they had to offer. She'd never really left abaven territory, so he was inclined to show her what else was out there. She had been fascinated by the different plants, and it had spurred her to learn on her own and not wait for the one that was supposed to teach her. He was very disgruntled about the fact that her mentor had up and abandoned her, but she was smart. She didn't need that boy anyway.

The pair arrived at last, Kakashi nodding his head to the one standing at the front of the group. "Sorry we're late." Was all he'd say. Then again, it was in his own nature to be late to gatherings anyway.

ooc. I forgot about this, whoops.

Vali yawned, a call disturbing her slumber. Hmm? What was that? Well, she could wait just five minutes, right? Just go back to sleep for a few minutes, then she'll go and answer whatever-the-hell that was. Right, that'd be good. She glanced outside, and at the sun; yeah, it wasn't too late and still early. Just... roll over.

That is, until she blinked some sleep out of her eyes and realized that she felt a bit more awake than she ought to. A glance outside told her nothing, but five minutes would have done almost nothing for her. She was sliding out of her den and was on her feet in a few seconds, eyes flying wide as she broke into a run towards where she thought was the source. Thank goodness she slept near where the call was made; she would never have found it in time otherwise. She slowed her pace as she neared, nose to the ground as she essentially tracked the scents to where the gathering was. She slunk in a bit guiltily, dipping her head in a silent apology to the young man who called them together.

She was so grateful to her uncle for doing the things he did for her. Honestly, after all the abandonment throughout her life, he was the only one truly there for her. Even Starling had lost the trust she had for him, choosing to abandon her even when he was supposed to be the one teaching her what she needed to know to succeed. She had considered the shy boy her only friend at one point, because they were so alike. But now? Her uncle was the only one she trusted, asides from Bass. But he was the alpha. Everyone else? She didn't trust them, not even her own family was trusted.

But when Kakashi led them to the call that indicated a training was being held, her demeanor returned to the usual shy and nervous being that she was. She wasn't a fighter. She didn't want to hurt others, she wanted to help them. But alas, she didn't want to get in trouble for not going. So instead, she quietly followed until they arrived, the raven colored girl sitting close to her uncle.

He was surprised anyone showed up at all. Then again, he was the new Prima Guardia; they had to show up. The immense authority daunted him, bringing a certain uncertainty to his demeanour. He wanted this position. He wanted the responsibilities that came with the rank. He wanted the power, the right to give orders and enforce decisions. Sometimes it felt like too much. He didn't want to be above anyone; he was equal with everyone else in the pack. Tinaro made sure to extend a nod to each arriving member as they seated themselves  - a silent gesture of a greeting. An older male, Hansel, was the first to arrive, followed by Karabela. "I'm good, thanks," he answered her inquiry before turning his gaze to Lark, followed by Lillianna. Sandpiper was next, greeting him in a chime. "Hi Piper," he dipped his head to the tan-furred girl. An auburn woman emerged next - an unfamiliar face. Was she the one Bass had spoken about at the meeting? Liviana he believed her name was. Before he could dwell on the female's name for much longer, an alabaster and tawny man emerged - Decim. The Lastic male was about to call the training together, hesitating for a few moments to gather his thoughts, before he was interrupted by the arrival of a russet-marked male - Zell, followed by Dart, Abaven's own fox, Kakashi with Quake, and Váli, who he believed was Abaven's highest ranking field medic. At least some of them apologised, though this being his first training as Prima Guardia, Tinaro didn't really mind. Not yet. "In the nick of time," he assured the ebony man. No-one else seemed to be coming, and if someone did, he wouldn't be as forgiving. He let out a short bark to get the crowd's attention. Cue improvisation. "Hello and welcome everyone. I'd like to thank you all for coming out today. As Bass mentioned at the meeting, you'll all be assigned a training partner. So when you hear their name, move to sit with them, have a small chat if you haven't already met them. You'll be working with them today and possibly in the future, so I strongly encourage you to meet with them sometime after this training and the next one." He quickly counted everyone - an even number. Perfect. "Hansel will be with Váli. Sandpiper will be with Decim. Lark will be with Quake. Liviana will be with Kakashi. Lillianna will be with Zell. Karabela will be with Dart." He tried to partner everyone with someone of a different age, different gender, and different rank. Hopefully everyone would be satisfied with these pairings. He gave them some time to resettle themselves and have a brief greeting. "Now that you know your partner, I would like to announce our first activity - melee spars. With your partner, you'll be fighting against another partnership. So discuss some tactics between each other, and I'll decide the groups." Then he gave them some more time to talk, maybe come up with a quirky team name. "Karabela and Dart will be versing Lark and Quake. Hansel and Váli will be versing Sandpiper and Decim. Lillianna and Zell will be versing Liviana and Kakashi. Remember, it's not about winning. Learning to cooperate with your partner is the key. Sometimes you may have to aid a pack-mate in war, so it's important to be able to work together with anyone." He paused, lifting his muzzle. "Go forth and start your spars when you're ready." ooc: Let's get this training started! The pairs are as following: Karabela & Dart vs. Lark & Quake, Hansel & Váli vs. Sandpiper & Decim, Lilliana & Zell vs. Liviana & Kakashi. All spars must be started by the 22nd of August, only in this thread please. Two rounds with a three-day time limit unless negotiated otherwise with your group members. You may judge these when finished, though that's up to you. "SPEAK"

Whoo! It was a party! Karabela grinned as more and more wolves showed up to the training. Perhaps everyone had a bit of antsy energy they wished to expend in the art of battle. Settling down Karabela would listen as Tinaro started up the meeting. They were swiftly paired off into partners and Karabela blinked for a moment as she realized her sparring partner would be Dart… the Fox… who didn't even reach her knees. She was trying not to judge him but it was difficult. She could pick him up by the scruff and cart him around like a pup if she so desired but she supposed her underbelly was pretty vulnerable to the fox though he'd likely still have to leap to reach it.

She nodded toward the fox as she tried to decide how she was going to approach this spar. However, it seemed there was more to this exercise than just being paired off with the partner. They'd be doing team spars. Well now… that was a lot more interesting! She and Dart would be fighting Lark and Quake. Grinning Karabela moved to the side, finding a good, sparse patch of earth for them to spar before she started setting her defenses. She'd wait for the others to get into position. "Sounds like fun. Who wants to start off this shindig?" She watched the other wolves, waiting for them to join her.

"Speech"

While he didn't know if everyone had shown up, it wasn't really his problem. Abaven seemed to be waning in activity, but he hoped it would kick back up. Even so, the amount of late comers and stragglers was concerning, even though he was among them, he still cared. He listened intently as Tinaro paired them off in what would be quite the interesting approach. He and Karabela would be partnered up and would have to spar Quake and Lark. Wasn't Quake the shy ebony female? He peered over at her, the young girl looking deathly afraid and like she might cry. Was she afraid of fighting? Maybe there was a chance he could help her...would that even it out? If the two smallest sparred and the two biggest sparred? He supposed he would have to see what they wanted to do first. So he'd make his way over to Karabela and flash a smile at her. He was the packs only fox, and had been for some time. "What's up? Name's Dart, but I'm pretty sure you know that." He grinned as he sat and waited for their opponents.

Well, looks like the young man in charge wasn't angry at all for the latecomers, and for that she was pretty damned grateful. She listened quietly as Tinaro spoke, and they were each assigned partners; she immediately eyed hers, a very much older male who'd likely have trouble in a fight. It was a surprise he was still living, really, with the amount of white on his nose when it would have been grey. She could notfault a wolf for age, and she held no animosity towards him at all; rather, once Tinaro finished speaking - and pairing them off with much younger wolves - she headed towarsd him, to save him the effort.

"Hansel," she greeted calmly, before glancing towards the two wolves that they were to fight. One was probably around her age, but the other was one of Bass' children, a young girl named Sandpiper, if she recalled. This would be an interesting pair-off, even if she really didn't want to fight.

Though not initially excited about the prospect of a gathering, it had been awhile since he'd had a good fight. Training would do them all some good, he was sure of that. They need to stay strong, just in case they needed to defend Abaven some day, or even to simply defend his family. His attention fixed on Tinaro as he spoke to them. Today, they'd be fighting in pairs. Interesting. He was assigned to pair up with Quake, and he'd nod in understanding as he padded over to his partner's side. They'd be fighting Karabela and Dart. He was secretly glad he wasn't fighting against Sandpiper - he'd have a difficult time being realistic in such a fight, for he wouldn't want to hurt her, even accidentally. "Any ideas on tactics?" he'd ask Quake off-handedly, under his breath as he eyed him. He didn't care much who started, but just in case the other pairing decided to, he'd hunker down and settle into his defenses, legs spread and shoulders squared as he glanced in their direction.