Thorn had teamed up with one of his little cousins to gather wood for the bonfire.  A strip of leather with a knotted loop in it made for a simple sheath that his wooden sword rested in.  Someday, the large pup imagined a fancy sheath just like his dad had but for now, a bit of leather around his waist would do.  

Thorn had also brought one of the hallows alpacas with them, a pack tossed over its back so that it would be in charge of carrying the sticks.  Thorn felt pretty clever at coming up with the idea.  “Now, we want some pretty fat branches to make a good bonfire.”

The two walked the birder of the berry grove as they hunted down good sticks.  It was kind of like actually patrolling, right?  Someday this would actually be a job of his but for now, it was more fun to imagine it was a responsibility of his.  No reason not to practice, right?  So as they walked along the edge, hunting for the branches Thorn also took time to scent the ground for anything that might be dangerous.  

“I use to grab a lot of branches out here to make swords but, not as large as I’d imagine for a bonfire.  I hear bonfires are giant, huge fires.  Bigger and brighter than anything you’ve ever seen.” Bigger than anything Thorn had ever seen for that matter also. “I’d use a stick for the crossguard and another for the blade and handle.  The first few were pretty bad though.”  Practice makes perfect.

"Thorn Carpathius"

The younger and much smaller Caladia eagerly walks alongside her older cousin Thorn as the pair go in of search for big branches for the bonfire. Wide, excited eyes watch her older cousin as he speaks, eagerly soaking up his words of wisdom. He has been alive longer than her plus he is Dusk’s sibling which, in the hodgepodge-hued girl’s mind, means he must be super smart. Short legs try to keep with Thorn and the alpaca as Callie listens to him, nodding along as she turns her mismatched eyes out in search for really big branches.

However, he attention is suddenly diverted by his talk of them being good swords and Callie’s eyes round with awe.  Eagerly, she asks, “Are you going have a real sword one day? Like my mom and your dad?” Paws tap the ground with excitement as she looks to him, eyes sparkling with wonder as she looks at Thorn. Suddenly, a branch catches the distractible girl’s attention and she bounds over to it and grabs it with her mouth.

With the overly large piece safely in her maw, Caladia turns and stumbles back to where her cousin is and proudly proclaims, around the branch in her mouth, “Teach me!” Tail wags as she waits to learn about wooden swords... and what they do.


"Caladia Carpathius"

Thorn had dropped the alpaca’s lead a moment to tug at a branch that was partially buried in the ground.  It turned out to be a root that hadn’t fully detached itself from its tree.  Almost, it was almost torn away and it was an impressive size!  Thorn twisted his head sideways, getting his teeth around the thinnest part and chomping down with all his strength.  Especially sharp teeth and strong jaws for a pup the branch actually did snap apart.  His eyes looked back to Cal as she spoke her questions.  He lifted the heavy branch in his mouth moving towards the alpaca but then dropping it with a breath to grin at Caladia.

“You bet.  I’m gonna have a great sword.  Not only that, I’m gonna learn how to make them.  All sorts of weapons.” In Thorn’s mind, it would all come to pass.  He put so much of his days into training to develop his skills it would be a shame to fail his expectations.

Caladia picked up a branch but instead of taking it towards the alpaca, she seemed to decide it would be her stick.  Thorn grinned broadly, moving back to the alpaca, taking the rope he was using to lead it, and wrapped it about a tree.  “I don’t think you’d run off but, best to be safe.”  The animal seemed content to lower its head and graze on the lush grass about.

Stepping over to Caladia he sat down near her, head tilting to consider how she stood.  “Well, I can’t say I’ve had a lot of official lessons yet.  Dad told me to carry the sword around in my mouth a lot, a whole lot so I’ve been doing that all the time.” Thorn shrugged, “well, except at moments when I can’t, like when picking up wood.”

What could he actually teach? “You want to bite lower down.  Imagine one end is the handle, about a quarter of it, then there would be the crossguard and then the actual blade of the sword.  Some swords are single bladed and others are double-bladed.  Of course, there is also the tip for stabbing.  When you grip it make sure it’s solidly in your mouth, hold tight, and try swinging it.”  

Thorn was keen on starting his real lessons in sword fighting and waiting for the day dad gave him the go-ahead.  If someone had asked Thorn what he had learned so far about fighting with a sword it would have been practically nothing.  That wasn’t true though Thorn realized.  He had been carrying a fake-wooden sword with him for a long time and made various attempts at crafting them.  Sure, the things he crafted were little more than toys but each one came with a lesson.  Each wooden sword he swung got him more used to what felt right and what position allowed for the best aim and ability to react quickly afterward.  Thorn might be a novice in swordplay but he knew more than he’d realized till now.  Maybe he’d learn a bit more by teaching someone else.

Maybe he’d even remember they’d been collecting sticks afterward.

"Thorn Carpathius"

Callie watches her older cousin, bright eyes sparkling with amazement at everything he has done and will do. When she finds a branch that can serve as a sword, the smaller pup hoists it and shows it off to Thorn while enthusiastically asking him to teach her. Luckily, he agrees to show her what he knows after tying off the alpaca. Ears perk forward to catch every word of wisdom he has to offer, nodding fervently, with the branch sticking out of her mouth, at his words about carrying the sword at all times. From this day forward, Caladia will not be caught without a branch in her maw.

Tail wags fast as Thorn continues to speak and Callie’s mismatched eyes widen as he instructs her to bite lower down on the branch. Releasing the wooden object so that it plops back down onto the grass, she looks it over while considering what her cousin says. Thoughtfully, she pokes the branch at a spot about a quarter of a way up from one end and looks to Thorn, saying, “Handle.” With the handle area picked out, she then retakes the branch in her mouth, biting it about halfway between the end of the branch and where she had marked off the handle.

Hefting it back into the air, the girl rolls the branch around in her mouth until she finds a spot that seems to be able to hold the object the best. Applying pressure, but not too much, Caladia then attempts to swing her ‘sword’ (without being in any kind of stance) and immediately topples over with an “OOF”. Sheepishly, she regains her paws and looks to Thorn, curious what had done wrong.


"Caladia Carpathius"

Thorn would remember their task later assuredly if, for no other reason, there was an alpaca nearby with some sticks ready to be carried off.  Right now his focus is excitedly on Caladia as he gets to think of what tips to offer her.  He nods as she chooses a spot for the handle and picks the ‘sword’ back up.  She proceeds to swing the stick around in some crazy arc and Thorn’s body twitches as she falls down.

“You ok?” He gives her a second to make sure she’s getting up before pointing out a few more details, “Fighting with a sword has some basic rules just like fighting without one.  You need to be in a good stance to support yourself.  You aren’t trying to see how far you can fling it either, wild strikes won’t do you any good and could give your enemy an opening.” Thanks, Tika, he still remembered her lesson from that one day on defending oneself.  “Also make sure the stick is one that isn’t too heavy to move freely nor too light to not be a good defense.”

Thorn picked up his own sword, and shifted his body into a defensive pose, shoulders squared, head even with body, ears back, and tail straight out.  He gave the sword a swing to his left, sharp and with a fluid planned motion of how far to swing.  Centering his head again he did the same thing but in the opposite direction.  This part was self-taught so perhaps could have been done better but he knew it was far better than wildly tossing one's head about.  He lowered his sword, adding to his comment, “Wild strikes are more likely to miss, and that weapon is also a tool of defense, when it's far away your neck is also more stretched out and just asking for the enemy to come in and attack.”  Some of this insight had come from generic fighting lessons but they seemed the sort that would apply equally to being used with a sword.

"Thorn Carpathius"

Caladia is quick to get her paws back underneath her and she nods to Thorn that she is okay. Carefully she picks up her ‘sword’ listening to her cousin’s instructions and nodding along. Legs move slightly away from her body as the young girl adopts her defensive stance, lowering her center of gravity. Mismatched eyes keenly watch each and every movement Thorn makes and she mirrors him, squaring her shoulders, slicking her ear back, and lifting her tail until it is aligned with her spine. She watches him swing his own sword and her eyes round in wonder at how controlled his action is.

Nodding to his words, Callie attempts her own swing and, based on everything he taught her, the pup’s second attempt is far more controlled. It isn’t flawless but there is potential for the girl. Once the impromptu lesson finishes, the little girl moves to the alpaca and deposits her ‘sword’, into one of packs the creature is carrying. As they continue to gather sticks, Caladia says, “Mom is going to teach me to use a sword one day! Are you going to have a sword like your dad one day?”

They gather sticks and branches until the packs on the alpaca’s sides are full to almost bursting. Thorn then gathers the lead rope and the two pups return with to the castle with their offerings.


"Caladia Carpathius"