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Post by Sivoncé™ on Dec 12, 2008 16:59:42 GMT -5
A dark, olive-furred brute padded through the brisk, bitter winter morning. Snow laid in powdery wisps on the forest floor, and the gnarled trees were arched in frozen discomfort. Though most of the mists had dispersed after the tornado, a slight foggy tint still clung, lingering to the air.
He circled a few times, sniffing the perimeter of the small clearing he'd asked Flisk to meet him at. Flisk was the name of his new neophyte, and Lyell, though still grieved by the lost of his god son, Shiro, was relieved immensely for a distraction.
He settled against the trunk of an old oak, waiting for the arrival of the youth he was to train in the ways of the warriors.
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Post by ♫Flisk♫ on Dec 12, 2008 19:14:42 GMT -5
Flisk's eyes scanned the forest as he parted his jaws to scent his mentor. He was slightly late for instead of eating he decided to take a stroll around the camp, taunting the neophytes he didn't like, and flirting with the females. Smiling slightly, he spotted his olive-furred mentor.
"Hey."
Taking a seat next to Lyell, he rolled his shoulders and took a quick look around. His stomach gurgled uncomfortably and hungrily, it churned the acids inside and made crude, grunting sounds. He wasn't too disappointed in not eating, but he had to become a warrior quickly if he was going to move up in the ranks.
"So what are we learning?"
((Sorry its not much...I didn't have alot of time.))
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Post by Sivoncé™ on Dec 21, 2008 17:00:44 GMT -5
Lyell's ears twitched slightly, eyes flickering to rest on Flisk as he padded towards him. The young wolf was obviously burning with hunger, though why, Lyell could only imagine. Though winter's arrow was sure and straightshot, the lifting of the fogs had brought with it a brief stint in which even small prey were plenty. Now, the reindeer and cairabou would be about. No, it's no sensible reason. Well, he'll just have to deal with it for the time being.
Lyell lifted himself from his casual lean against a tree and padded to the center of the clearing, tail swaying slightly, a gesture that Flisk should follow him. "We'll start with simple foundations: you're sure of why we're here, I presume? To build you into a warrior?" Lyell's tone was musing, but his expression was serious and glinting with mystery. "But why do we need warriors? To protect and feed the packs? Why have packs? Convienience? Why not put yourself above the whole of the group?" Lyell turned back to Flisk, a small, mischeivous smile on his maw. "Well, young one, what are your philosophies? Nothing long and wordy -- just what do you feel when you think 'pack'? When you hear 'warrior',?"
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Post by ♫Flisk♫ on Dec 22, 2008 15:59:03 GMT -5
Flisk tried to comprehend all the questions. He just had to get through this training and then he could move on and become something big. He had to listen. Swallowing, he nodded his head slowly and grunted as he nodded at the question of pack and warrior.
"Pack. A band of animals who protect and bond with eachother. Warrior. A greatly respected wolf who gives his life for his pack and fights with his all."
He smiled but another pang of hunger sailed through him and wipedn the grin into a grimace. He bit his lip, twitched his nose, and waited for his mentor's response.
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Post by Sivoncé™ on Dec 23, 2008 1:10:44 GMT -5
Lyell nodded, a small smile on his maw. It was just that; a curve of the maw and nothing more. It was encouragement, but not approval or acceptence of what Flisk had said. Lyell blinked away from Flisk, regarding the hollow for a few moments. "In time, I think, you'll find your assumptions and ideas of this life are shaped and scuplted into things that are very different. But, for now, they are what they are, and it's your skills we'll need to sharpen. We'll start with hunting -- we need to take advantage of whatever small prey is about. In winter, it's mainly larger game like moose and elk that require at least two to three wolves to take them down, but the parting of the mists allowed for some smaller prey to leak out in a desperate search for winter food. Well, unfortunately for them, they'll be the meals. Now, we'll start off simple -- rabbits. Not snowshoes, but common woodland bunny-boys. What do you know about rabbits?" He was calm, certain, but there was a definite sparkle of pride and excitement in his eyes. He has a lot to learn about what pack and family mean, but I think he'll get it in mind. All neophytes start out like him -- thinking that there's only greatness in certain places. Well, he'll shape up to be something, that's for sure.
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Post by ♫Flisk♫ on Dec 23, 2008 20:46:48 GMT -5
Flisk nodded, no expression creased across his detailed features. He sniffed the air, wondering what exactly Lyell thought of his too-good-to-be-true opinion of things, but he really didn't care. His goal was to get through training and be one of the best he could be. He wasn't one of those goody-goody neophytes though, who always did exactly what they were told and nothing different. He didn't hunt when he was supposed to sometimes, but that wasn't too big.
"A rabbit. Well...rabbits are fast and have big ears which lead to excellent hearing. I'm not sure if they can feel the vibrations of your feet but you don't want to get a crazed one because it could turn around and scratch you somewhere, leaving you infected too."
Smiling almost proudly, the neophyte plopped down and tucked his tail underneath his back legs. His muscles pumped blood and he cleared his throat and waited for again another answer.
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Post by Sivoncé™ on Dec 23, 2008 21:48:28 GMT -5
Lyell nodded at the last bit. "That goes for almost any animal. If it's bigger than a rabbit, it's not a matter of avoiding them, either -- a crazed wild cat may seek you out itself," he warned. "But we're speaking of rabbits for now. Correct, their hearing is highly attuned and precise -- they can hear your every movement. Fast, sure. But we're wolves, Flisk." He grinned widely, then blinked his gentle gaze back to the neophyte. "We're pretty darn fast, too. But, for rabbits,....since they can get themselves into their holes so quickly, a small spurt of silent stalking will be needed." He padded a few steps away from Flisk, then sunk into a well-practiced, instictive crouch. "The key here is to place one paw in front of the other, a nice direct line, and keep your weight on your haunches so they don't create so many vibrations. When you're, hm, a little less than a foot away, I'd say, leap," he woofed simply, demonstrated. His landing was finished and almost graceful. He spun, nodding to Flisk. "You try."
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Post by ♫Flisk♫ on Dec 24, 2008 8:42:56 GMT -5
Flisk snuffled through the cold and watched his mentor warrior fall into a stalking position. He nodded at every word, paws prickling with anxiety and excitement. Finally, when it was his turn, he cracked his neck, then fell into a simillar crouch as Lyell. He paid most of his attention to keeping the weight on his haunches.
Creeping slowly towards an exposed tree root, he waited until he was about a foot away from it and then pounced, an awkward one, but a pounce none-the-less. Smiling he strode over to Lyell and gazed his curious eyes into his.
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Post by Sivoncé™ on Dec 24, 2008 13:24:29 GMT -5
Lyell beamed at him as Flisk joined him again. "A brilliant start, Flisk. Two things: when you keep your weight on your haunches, remember to still keep your entire body low to the ground -- your behind was stickin' up a bit. Also, you seemed uncertain about your final leap, which can be seen in its outcome." He chuckled gently."I would expect nothing more from any neophyte -- if you'd done it perfectly, I'd be suspicious about where you spend your free time," he woofed, lighthearted and joking. He motioned for Flisk to try the stalk-and-pounce again. We'll be drilling this a few times -- it'll imprint it better in his head. Let's see what he can make of this one... The warrior watched his trainee with interest.
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Post by ♫Flisk♫ on Dec 24, 2008 17:45:50 GMT -5
Flisk beamed with pride. His ears twitched back when he heard about his butt sticking up, but he shook it off and backed away from the root. This time he had the weight down, it was time to get the other things imprinted in his mind. First off he made sure his behind was lower than before, and he creeped slowly towards the tree root. His steps were light and he squinted with concentration. Now able to judge how far he was from the root from experience, he jumped at the precise moment and landed on the root, adding a snarl to show aggresion. It wasn't perfect, but it was something!
"How was that?"
Flisk had been stripped of his emotionless look in a few minutes. He smiled proudly and began to act like a normal neophyte. Prancing back to his mentor, he waited for praise or advice.
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Post by Sivoncé™ on Dec 26, 2008 12:04:00 GMT -5
Lyell studied and observed Flisk with apt interest. Flisk had dropped some of his pretenses as he went to try the move again -- a more successful attempt, too! A snarl poured from the open maw of his neophyte, who nearly danced back over to him with delight following the maneuver. Lyell laughed softly, eyes filled with warmth and excitement. "Better? Definitly! Fantastic for a second try? That's an understatement! Well done, Flisk. Now let's give it another go -- we're drilling this into your head, and it is a staple technique you will use so many times in your life you won't even think of it! Keep up the good work," he woofed. He chuckled softly again, finding humor and happiness from the reaction he was sure to induce in Flisk.
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Post by ♫Flisk♫ on Dec 27, 2008 17:58:58 GMT -5
Flisk's head bobbed up and down eagerly and he smiled brightly, his ivory colored fangs glimmering. Clearing his throat, he crouched once again, so used to the position that his legs did not crack as he stalked forward. He squinted, silently smelling the air, the targeted a tree trunk. Tail elevated just a little above his back, he licked his lips.
The neophyte let out a low growl and strode forward. As soon as he was in lunging distance of the huge tree, he leaped and pounced on the bottom, letting out a yelp as a peice of bark plunged into his soft paw pad. Shaking his head, he pulled it out and stalked over to Lyell, smiling.
"How was that?"
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Post by Sivoncé™ on Dec 27, 2008 20:42:53 GMT -5
Lyell smiled warmly at Flisk as he executed the stalking move once again. "Wonderful -- I'd say you're ready to try it out on an old wood rabbit. The only thing you need to note is not to be too eager -- meaning that your growl before you started to stalk would've given you away. A growl during a leap is fine, but be careful. The point of the move altogether is to avoid being heard by the rabbit," he woofed. "These techniques work for snowshoes as well. Like I said before, I hope we can get the last few wood rabbits that are out and about, but winter is winter, and a snowshoe would be just fine, too. Now, inhale deeply. Erect your senses. What is it you smell, hear, feel?"
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Post by ♫Flisk♫ on Dec 28, 2008 9:40:00 GMT -5
Flisk beamed and wagged his tail. He tossed his head a little when he heard about the growl, but didn't become too upset. When his mentor told him he was ready to try it on a rabbit, he stifled a cheer and spoke, his eyes shining like crystals in the moonlight.
"Really? Thats awesome! I can't wait to sink my teeth into one of those meat bags."
Arching his back, he licked his lip and looked around. Maybe he would have fun during this session. Maybe...maybe he would become a regular warrior and not a power hungry one. This was actually...fun. Smiling, he spoke again.
"Are we hunting here or??"
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Post by Sivoncé™ on Dec 28, 2008 14:58:02 GMT -5
Lyell raised a brow. "Firstly, those 'meat bags' deserve your respect. Without them, you wouldn't be alive. Second, I asked you what you scented, Flisk? Remember?" He sounded mildly irritated, but not upset or angry with Flisk. He needs to learn how to focus, that's for sure. Well, hopefully he'll collect himself really quick -- we may have to go deeper into the forest before scenting something. Nothing will be around the direct edges of this place, that's for sure, but maybe he'll be able to smell something that's just a little farther away....
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