Hazel had gotten stronger, that much was obvious. She was shaping up to be smart as well, though not always the most... well... graceful. That was okay though. Maybe it would come in time? The girl could hope. It had been more than an entire season since Seer (sir) had decided that she could stay within the Armada, and it was clear that being part of the pack had done her some good. The pup's ribs had disappeared, though she remained somewhere in the middle of the road when it came to her build. Her coat was no longer dull, and she was even relatively clean. Relatively, of course, as she spent way too much time scrapping about in the mud that had come on with the summer rains. Good enough.

It was early afternoon by the time she'd finished with her morning chores. Somehow she'd gotten roped into helping Halo with dishes pretty much every day. How the heck did anyone even dirty so many dishes? Why couldn't she help Bas with his chores? Ugh! Still, the pale healer was nice, her raccoon was funny, and there were always extra snacks. It wasn't so bad... Hazel guessed. The red girl was glad to be free of her chores though. That was the nice thing about helping Halo too, she always rested in the afternoon when the sun was at its highest, so Hazel would always be free by the same time. The same time, and with plenty of daylight left!

With her green gaze burning brightly, the pup made her way to the training rings that had been set within the Sea's Plain. It looked empty, but maybe she could get someone to spar with her, to train with her. She was still determined to best Bas the next time they fought. That, and the thought of her loss to Ghoul still stung. Next time, next time she'd get the best of him. Hazel swore by it. The bitterness of that defeat in her mouth, the girl launched herself at one of the training dummies.
"Speech"

The Warlord made his way down to the beach. Sand crunched beneath heavy paws as the afternoon sun warmed the dark tones of his coat. It didn’t take long for his eyes to scan the beach, and fall upon the small form of the rusty pup. Throwing herself into her exercise with abundance. He watched his adopted child for a moment. The last child now in the den of the Warlord. It wouldn’t be wrong to say a lot of fondness rested in his expression.

He had heard of course, about her loss to Ghoul. Seeing her determination now, he knew she was just the pup for the little exercise he had in mind. He padded forward, surprisingly quiet despite his impressive size. “Hazel. You're leaving yourself open on your right side. Guard up” he told her, stepping forward and tapping her shoulder. Ah, the love language of the Warlord.

“A young jaguar has moved into the woods next to the Armada. I’m going to scare him off, up for accompanying your old man?”

"Sirius Fatalis"

Hazel had been wrapped up in the aggression, consumed by it. The feelings weren't as strong as the fight against Ghoul, no, but they were still there. Really, the girl wanted to train until she was sore, and then train more. That was the only way she could be sure she was getting better. Still, the aggression made her sloppy. The bad feelings... the emotions... she hadn't heard the Warlord on his approach. When Sirius finally tapped her shoulder, Hazel spooked a bit more than she'd care to admit.

Seer (sir) certainly wasn't wrong. In all of her aggression, unchained as it was, her guard had been dropped on that right side. It was the reason that Ghoul had bested her (well, that and the fact that he didn't know how to pick on someone his own fucking size), and she needed to be more on top of it. Hazel stilled for a moment, catching her breath and nodding. With more care and attention paid to her right side, and more focus on her environment, the girl launched herself at the dummy once more. Her sequencing was swift, though her movements lacked the agility that would come with time. Stepping back from her attack, the green eyed girl met her adopted father's gaze. "How's that?" She could neither confirm nor deny that his approval was important to her... any idiot could see that it was.

A jaguar! Her gaze lit up, nodding enthusiastically before Sirius even finished speaking. "Yesyesyes," the words spilled from her without pause. Hazel bounced over her paws, weight on one and then the other. She would absolutely be up for a challenge like a jaguar, and what's more, she could spend more time with Sirius. A win-win situation in her eyes.

"Speech"

He stepped back as he launched herself into another series of attacks. He watched her defences, her footwork, her strategy. Once she had completed it and turned her attention on him, he waited a moment. “Not bad. Practice with a larger opponent, so you don’t get caught unawares. Practice holding your defences for long periods of time. Don’t let exhaustion or repetition make you sloppy.” Oh yeah, he knew about Ghoul.

Another moment, and then he released her from his stern gaze. His eyes crinkled at the corners. “Well make a warrior out of you” he promised, ruffling her coat as she expressed delight at taking on a jaguar. He turned and led her towards the border of the Armada and the Weeping Willows. “He scouted our borders, can you catch his scent?”


"Sirius Fatalis"

Not bad, his words came. Okay, not bad, but in her mind it wasn't good enough either. A larger opponent... not getting caught off guard... okay, that was fair. Hazel did her best to take in what he had to say. He was a Warlord after all. Though the pup wasn't small necessarily, it seemed like pretty much everyone was bigger than her. Finding someone bigger wouldn't be too hard. She'd drill her defenses, she'd get better. Hazel had to get better.

Sirius spoke of things that could make her sloppy though, and she grimaced. "Bear um... how much did she tell you?" One of her ears flicked back, tucking against her head. Hazel was still worried about getting into trouble, but like... that Habari kid had started it. He'd called her smelly, and he cussed at her. Hazel was just trying to put an end to it, and it wasn't like she'd been beaten that badly. Did Bear tell him that it was a close fight? The pup hadn't told the Warlord about it partly because she was embarrassed that she'd lost, and partly because she didn't want to lose her exploring privileges. After all, what's one fight between kids? (She'd choose to omit the fact that she'd hold that grudge, but well, it wasn't hard to guess.)

Hazel bounded after Sirius, the promise of becoming a warrior enough to make her swell with excitement. "I wanna be a warrior just like you." The words came with a reverence, the way that little girls are meant to look up to their dad. No, he wasn't her father, but he was her dad. Hazel was a bastard by birth but she'd been adopted by fate, and there wouldn't be looking any gift destinies in the mouth. Together, they made their way to the border, edging toward the Weeping Willows.

The red and pale pup lowered her muzzle to take a sniff, searching for the scent of the cat. At first there's nothing new... mostly Azure and Sirius, and the other Armada wolves that had been patrolling the borders. Still, a few more steps and... "Ew," yup there it was. Hazel's nose wrinkled, looking to the Warlord. "Do jaguars always smell kinda... gross?" She didn't quite have the words for it... gamey? Skunky? Certainly a male, that much she could tell. Seer (sir) said he was young too. Maybe that's why he didn't know any better, coming so close to their borders.

"Speech"

The Warlord flicked a crooked smile Hazel’s way. “Enough.” He admitted. If it had been an adult wolf, he would have taken it as a slight against his pack. But they were pups, and she would figure out how to get her own. Besides, Basilisk was already a heffalump posing as a wolf. The two were as tight as two peas in a pod, they’d figure it out. He’d leave them to it, so long as they didn’t create an incident between their packs.

The Warlord chuckled at her eager words. “Warriors just like me had to start out somewhere. Practice and perseverance, little one” he said, leaning forward to nuzzle an ear with his nose. Then, he paused, and frowned down at her. “Has Halo seen those teeth?” he asked. He didn’t know anything about where she came from, or if those fangs were inherited by someone, but they were… stange. They reminded him more of the crystals from the Long Night than anything else.

But, if they weren’t troubling her now he wouldn’t alarm her, and he would speak to Halo later. At the border, Hazel took to the challenge of scenting out the male. At her words, he snorted in amusement. “I would say he’s recently branched out from his family. Looking for a place and some woman of his own. That strong musk would be alluring if you were a jaguar female. Think you could track it?” he challenged her.

"Sirius Fatalis"

Enough, and the smile that comes with it. Hazel straightened her posture to a degree, trying not to look too sheepish. "It was close, I got some real good shots in," she tried to cover for herself, but it wasn't like the Warlord didn't already know. "You're right about my defenses though. It was the same then as it was today, I think, with the right side." Hazel admitted softly, reflecting as she walked beside him. If she knew what she was doing wrong, at least, she could fix it. There was resolve to the girl. Unshakable resolve.

Tender moments like these... though Hazel didn't know it now, these were the memories that she'd treasure until the end of her days. She'd reach up to press against his cheek, having to stretch to do so. Her teeth-- oh! Yeah, her teeth! "One of the old ones came out when I was helping her with dishes, she thought it was because I used my teeth to open one of her jars." Hazel shrugged, it was the closest the healer had ever come to reprimanding her. "She was surprised when the other one came out too, said something about how they were my adult teeth and shouldn't come out," that had been a few weeks ago now. "Was even more surprised when these new ones grew in, I 'unno why, but at least they don't hurt so much anymore." But sheeeeeeeesh had they hurt when they started coming in. Teething was absolutely no joke.

Hot on the trail of the jaguar, Hazel narrowed her eyes... maybe it would help her smell better? Something like that. "I'm pretty sure all boys are kinda stinky, no matter what they are." The words were grumbled, more to herself than anyone else. Mortis wasn't too bad, no, he was mostly okay. But like... Kotori? Ick! He'd just hit two years old after all, and Hazel could smell him walking past his den. Grimshaw too, he'd smelled pretty gross. Both boys around the same age... it checked out. Right, Hazel focused up. "Well he certainly can't have this place." Hazel straightened up, taking a moment to sniff at the area around where she first caught the scent of the big cat.

Ah! The track moved away from their border, but not by much. Out and parallel, and then out again, and then parallel some more. Behind her, the girl carried her tail high, excitement running in her veins. The trail wasn't that old either, and it wound through the trees. Hazel regularly paused to ensure she didn't lose the trail, and to make sure she wasn't going in circles. It was at the base of one of the trees that the red and pale girl stopped and pursed her lips, scowling. Yes, she could smell the cat on the tree but... now what? Why did it seem to disappear right here? "Can you give me a hint?" Hazel turned to her dad, a bit of frustration crinkling her brow.

"Speech"

“I heard you did indeed, and you’ll beat him next time. You learn from your mistakes, and learn how to correct them. You’ll go far, Hazel” he said, almost absent-mindedly as he turned her head this way and that for a moment. Admiring her strange crystalline teeth. He’d never seen anything like it, and that was saying something. “Hmm.” he said at her explanation, surprised that Halo hadn’t said anything to him. Perhaps she had expected him to notice it before now. After all, the girl was living under his roof.

He released his grip on her so she could track, and turned his laugh into a cough at her comment on boys. He made a show of sniffing his armpits, and shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps I need to make a mandate that all boys bathe twice as often as the girls.” he teased her.

He trotted lightly behind her, giving her the lead on tracking. This was a lesson for her, and a chance to use some of her training in the real world. When she lost the trail, he kept a very close eye on the tree before them. Prepared for an ambush even as he kept the lesson going for the girl. “Hint: what stands out on the tree trunk?” he asked, his own eyes glancing at the grazing in the wood left by the jaguar's powerful claws.


"Sirius Fatalis"

The Warlord's praise was enough to make Hazel nearly radiate, really. She'd go far. Hell, she'd go far because she had the best teacher, the best guidance, that there ever was. She could be absolutely sure of that. Still, the girl couldn't help but giggle a bit as Sirius turned her head this way and that, crystal teeth glimmering in the sunlight that filtered down through the trees. Hazel lifted her lips as best she could, showing them off. At the talk of a bath mandate, the silly show of sniffing, the red and pale pup reached up to sniff at one of Seer's ears before sneezing somewhat dramatically. It's a playful gesture, even if there was still learning to do. Laughing, learning, and enjoying the day somewhat-out. What more was there to ask for?

Right! Learning! And he had a hint for her, okay, she could do this. Hazel took a big step back from the tree, and then another. Maybe she was too close to it? Sure, she'd go with that. Actually... oh, she'd been right, too close to it after all. From her new vantage point, the girl could see the scoring in the tree bark. "Those are from his claws, right?" Hazel gestured at the scratch marks, her gaze following them up into the branches above. If the marks were from the jaguar... and jaguars could climb trees that would mean-- oh. Carefully, the pup put herself into a more defensive posture, while still staring up into the tree as best she could. "How do we get him to come down?" There was a shadow up there somewhere, and Hazel could see it moving just a bit. Still... couldn't he just wait them out? How could they get him out of the tree so they could run him off after all?
"Speech"

The willows made for massive, sweeping trees for the jaguar to wait in. The Warlord knew he was there, hiding somewhere in the long leaves above them. As Hazel backed up, the Warlord subtly modified his stance, keeping himself close to the girl. A shield, if the cat decided to leap down at them from its perch.

Hazel examined the marks, and quickly came to the right conclusion. “Exactly.” he said as he could see the moment she understood, and adjusted her own stance accordingly. How to get them out, she asked. And indeed, that was the question. “What do we know about him so far? He’s young, looking for his own territory, and has a lot to prove. How would you go about it?” he challenged her, wishing to see where her own mind went.

"Sirius Fatalis"

Hazel's mind is working more quickly now. Adrenaline coursed through her system, and her pulse rose significantly. Right, they were going to fight a predator. A real, actual predator. She drew to her full height as best she could, peering curiously at the creature. Defensive, but also markedly curious. Her green eyes shone with a bit of fire, and a bit of something else. Hazel's spark burns brightly, as always. She would be bold in moments like this, and always. Bold and brave.

"He's got something to prove... he'd come down for a challenge." After a moment's pause, it clicks in Hazel's head. She'd try it... what's the worst that could happen? The worst, she supposed, was that it wouldn't work. Would she, in all of her desire to prove herself back down from a challenge like this? Certainly not. Hopefully, the cat would be the same.

Standing tall, neck arched, gaze burning, the girl took three long steps back from the tree. She flashed her teeth at the cat, scowling, letting go as deep a growl as she could muster from her throat. As soon as it hit the ground, it would be go time after all. She was ready, though. Defensive, watching. Yes, her challenge would be met. Down from the tree, the male sprang. Hazel was in motion already, her head low, lunging toward the area where the predator's neck met his shoulder.

"Speech"

The Warlord flashed her an approving grin. “Exactly.” He agreed, giving her space as she backed up a little more. Giving herself room to move before she issued her challenge. Another move he agreed with. She was spunky and a quick learner with much to prove herself. But she also had a lot to learn, and there was caution in the Warlord's ready stance as he watched her issue her challenge.

As they had both assumed, the Jaguar met her challenge. Leaping from the tree in a feline snarl. It landed near Hazel on graceful paws, but the Armada wolf was already moving. She leapt at the jaguar, going for its neck. As it tried to twist itself, and aimed to run its claws down her back, the Warlord let loose a heavy growl of his own. A warning and a distraction, and the jaguar was young itself. It startled at the noise, giving Hazel her opening.

"Sirius Fatalis"

The Warlord's praise shines warmly on the red and pale child's shoulders, and she can't help but grin. He approved! Not only did Seer approve, but she was ready to take the jaguar on. As it landed before her, Hazel was electric. Alive with anticipation and excitement. Yes, all of it was good fun-- genuinely good fun. Already, Hazel was wrapped up in combat with the cat. She moves quickly, though not nearly as gracefully as her adversary. No, the creature that moved before her seemed to have grace in its blood, in its bones. Would she ever learn to move like that?

Hazel caught the jaguar's claw to her shoulder, but she's too hopped up on the energy that came from the fight. It makes contact with her right shoulder, though the pup quickly corrects herself, righting her course. It was the same lesson from training, and she didn't drop her guard nearly as much this time. Not perfect, but getting better. The energy that came from a fight like this it's... wow. She's enchanted by it, she loves it. Hazel comes absolutely alive with it. Seer (sir) lets go a growl that's enough to distract the jaguar, and Hazel finds her opening. Being careful not to drop her guard this time, the red and pale pup throws herself into the space where the cat's neck and shoulder meet, leading with her teeth. She can't help but find a growl, a snarl, ripping free from her throat. There were few things more fun, in her eyes, than a fight.

"Speech"

He could see the way she came alive with the battle before her. Adrenaline coursing through her veins. Her eyes bright with it, like she was made to fight. It was easy to feel pride for her as he witnessed it, and as his snarl died down, she dove for its neck. Taking the opening he had provided. Holding on tight, squeezing her fangs in, bleeding the creature and cutting off its air, until it fell limp at her paws. The Warlord reached over them both, swiping a smear of blood from its neck and wiping it across her forehead. “You're just about ready to be a warrior, little one. Keep up your training, mind your guard, and perhaps you’ll be up a rank next season.” He advised her.

He eyes the jaguar for a moment. “Do you want to skin him?” She could keep it as a mark of accomplishment.


"Sirius Fatalis"

Hazel could feel the jaguar struggling in her jaws, writhing, railing against her. It squirmed and tried to break free, but she held tight. Truly, it was no use. The pup was relentless, she wasn't going to let go, she wasn't going to back down. The creature, barely at its full size, slowly went limp in her jaws. It was only when the rust and pale pup was sure she was safe that she let the predator down... almost gently? Strange it was, for how she'd just fought against it. Still, as with everything else, Hazel is... probably a bit strange yeah.

Her eyes shone softly as she looked to her dad, excitement ringing true in her gaze. Her tail, too, wagged at her haunches. As often happened when she was excited, she couldn't help but tip-tap her forepaws. She could get promoted next season? She could join the warrior's ranks? She'd be able to train among them, fight among them? It was as if her heart had wings in moments like this. For the first time in her short (but already messy) life, Hazel is starting to realize something. She has a future. She has a future here, within the Armada. "I want to be the best of the warriors," Hazel declared, straightening up, her eyes alight. "What comes above the warriors? When do I get to do that?" There was excitement. If she could be a warrior as early as next season, then the red and pale pup would make it happen. But what was above that? If she was going to have a future, then Hazel would make the most of it, after all.

Do you want to skin him? Seer's question came, and Hazel looked up to him with wide eyes. To skin the jaguar and keep his pelt... enthusiastically, she nodded. "Will you show me how?" Right, she hadn't really gotten that far, not yet. Having a dad really did come in handy, though, and Hazel was glad that she had his guidance.

"Speech"

The Warlord chuckled at her enthusiasm. She still had a ways to go yet, but he could see the pale wolf making her way up the ranks if she kept her drive and training. He’d known from the start that she was a good addition to the pack, to his family.

“After that, things begin to break into specialties. We have lieutenants, that need to be good at leadership and training, and rank above the warriors. We also have the Howlers, which are a force separate from the main fighters, that specialise in fighting with a close-knit team. After that, we have the higher ranks, the Reaper and General. All the lieutenants, and Howlers, and Warriors, and apprentices, and so on have to answer to those two ranks. Then we have the Gladiator and the Queen, which are supporting roles to mine and Azure.” He explained. Mentioning the warrior style ranks to the young girl. “You can become a Lieutenant if you're proactive in keeping yourself in shape and show a tendency to help others train” he explained. He ruffled her forehead. “Right, this jaguar. I want you to make incisions here, and here, and here, and then cut between them” he instructed, pointing as he spoke.

"Sirius Fatalis"

The Warlord had opened his home and his heart to the girl that had been thrown from her family for being... different. Different, strange, and not theirs. Right, having a dad, a dad for real... even if her family hadn't abandoned her as they had, Hazel wouldn't have ever had a family. Not really. Not like this. Living with Seer (sir) and Zee had been a gift that she'd never be able to repay, but she had to try. She'd try by doing her best. Every damn day, she'd do her best. Hazel wanted to be worth it to the Armada.

Her attention was rapt, green eyes shining as Sirius talked over each of the roles. They were all different by name, and her head quirked to the side at the mention of the Howlers. Was it like how she and Lis fought together all the time? So much information in her head, so many things to learn, and all she wanted to pick up even more. Hazel would only get stronger, get smarter with age. It was upon hearing the General, that she really leaned forward. Leaned in. Looked up at Sirius with great big eyes, and her tail wagging. "What if I want to be the General, after being a lieutenant?" She's excited, really, by the prospect. For someone who's always, always lived in the moment with little choice to do otherwise... yeah, it's exciting. All of it is wildly, madly exciting to the young girl.

Yes, right, the jaguar. Hazel approached the jaguar and cut along the spots that Seer had indicated, using one of her sharp crystalline teeth. The line that she cut between the two points was a bit wobbly, and Hazel had to come up a few times to make sure she was still going in the right direction. "Can we... er, do we eat jaguar, and the other predators we fight?" The girl asked, finally coming up after having sliced open the fresh kill. Was it a waste to leave it? Would the scent of blood attract more predators? There were so many things to know, and Hazel wanted to know all of them.

"Speech"

“Then you need to work hard, put in the time, and challenge for the rank” He explained to her. She was too young to do so yet, but if she put her mind to it she could well find herself in the position of General one of these days. He backed up a little, giving her space as she made the cuts he had directed. It was interesting to see her new fangs at work. They were sharp, almost metallic, glinting in the sunlight.

Her cuts were a little haphazard, but not bad for a first time. “Now, if you pull here, the skin should slide off, and we can dry it, and you can use it however you please. Also, carefully knock out the teeth with a paw, and we can fashion them into small spikes that can be implemented into armour. It's always good to have a surplus” He explained, indicating for her to do so for the experience. “As for the meat - Jaguars are carnivores, like us. We can eat the meat, but it's important that the bulk of our diet is made up of herbivores, or you start to get sick. So long as we aren’t hurting for meat, I’d bury the remains of this creature to keep away scavengers” He explained


"Sirius Fatalis"