Hoshor Plains A Few Dollars More

@Keres :)

 The golden warrior had recently met the only man that had a connection with the clans and also experienced first hand the wrath of the bitter Skyclan. Now he had an objective, for what was a passing suggestion became a commitment, and that was to rebuild the clans, his life, his legacy. However, he was certain that there weren't many here that were of clan history and thus could not fully reconstruct what he knew. If he was really going to do this, he needed to come up with some way to integrate clan philosophy into the new clan so that newcomers could understand. After all, the Warrior Code is what kept the clans in check, well, most of the time.

But it was the best thing he could do.

The lean male had a long way to go, not only did he have to find wolves that were willing, he had to find a place that felt like all the memories of the clan could be lived. But where? He had managed to find himself in the plains and immediately felt homesick, but alas, the plains were more of Windclan where the rabbits run free and there are no trees in sight. Goldenwind stalked through the grass with his shoulders moving in a brisk pace as he tried to find a better alternative.

Keres was the farthest she'd yet been from her home since arriving and settling in at the Spear, passing freely through the Glen, into the Heartwoood and the plains beyond. Mantally, she sought to map the lands, forming a visual in her head of where certain landmarks stood. She wanted to be a boon to her pack and family, and while she was no warrior, she was many other things that were just as important. Still, honing her ability to fight could not hurt, either; if something were to happen and she could not readily dive into the fray as the others could, the valkyrie would not be able to live with herself.

Erebus would have been so surprised, She mused, gliding through the golden grass as her eyes scanned the horizon. At first, she did not see the wolf, as he belnded with the plains so well, but the closer she came, the easier his form was to pick out and so was his scent. Loner, no heavy scent of pack hanging around him. He looked on the hunt for something, though she scented no fresh tracks of prey, not in the immediate area, at least. Slowing to a halt, Keres watched as he moved towards an interception point between them, green eyes curious and calm.

Goldenwind had no idea where he was treading, he knew he had to be careful because there could be other packs near and he wouldn't want to stumble across any border and get himself in trouble. The man liked to keep to himself now, the less he said about himself the better, but he was on a mission and he was honestly hoping that he wouldn't run into anyone and unfortunately start a conversation.

He wasn't in the mood.

Unfortunately, that is what he got.

A stranger that was completely new and alien, should he quicken his pace? No, that would seem like he was a coward and intentionally trying to avoid confrontation and that would never suit the warrior. But he realllly didn't want to talk. As their interception gap closed, he casually tossed a glance to get a good look at what he was about to encounter. This wolf reeked of pack scent and was a combination of greys with ocean blue orbs encapsulating her physique, but he knew not to linger for long.

Both of them stopped in their tracks, with the wind brushing his golden pelt around his body as if he was a moving art piece, but what does he say? He recollected himself and tipped his head into a nod as if he had a hat and was politely tipping it to her to acknowledge the female's presence and hopefully the two would just give passing nods.

So she stopped and he mimicked the movement, almost as if they were opposites. His gold to her silver, oranges to her blues, taller and thicker stature to her more slender and lithe one. They both remained silent, the dip of his head at least telling her that he wasn't out for trouble, or at least that she could tell. A gentle wag of her tail was all that answered him, tempted to move on before suddenly reconsidering. There was a look to him that reminded her of the Tartarus man and on a whim, Keres waylaid all formalities, instead asking a question of the man.

Do you know how to fight?

These two were opposites, she was smaller, he was taller, all the things that could be listed and neither of them matched. But that wasn't important, he had more things on his shoulders than she could possibly guess. 

But thankfully, this wouldn't be a hostile encounter as she greeted him with a wagging tail, thank Starclan, now he could get on with his business. But alas, his annoyances came to pass when she was quite forward with her first words to him.

Do you know how to fight?

Goldenwind shouldn't have been surprised at this point because he already met someone who was very blunt and forward with their words, are all wolves that reside here like this. He really shouldn't entertain her idea but he was a warrior, fighting was part of his life and he wouldn't turn down an opportunity like this to show off his mercenary skills.

"Yeah," he shrugged casually as he turned to face her more as if he already knew that she was going to demand more of his time to give a quick little spar.

Another wave of a silver banner as he answered, his tone short, his attitude aloof. That didn't matter. What mattered was that he answered favorably. It was reckless, perhaps, to ask a complete stranger to impart such knowledge upon her but Keres didn't mind jumping off the cliff into the unknown. Perhaps if he realized that she wasn't looking to hassle, only learn from him, it would not go awry.

Could you teach me?

Erebus was likely frowning down at her right now, having always taken issue with her ability to be so brazen and optimistic. But the deed was done and she had already asked. There was no turning back now.

The girl was quick, but he wasn't outright expecting that she would ask him to teach her how to fight. To him this was baffling because she didn't look that young, in fact, she looked older than him. The teachings of fighting were taught at 6 moons of age, and here she was asking him how to fight? Great Starclan.

But he didn't speak his mind on the matter, after all, it was a warrior's duty to one day have an apprentice of their own to better forward the next generation and fulfill the duties of his clan.

"Alright," he stated simply and back a few tail length's away to gain better distance. Yet, how was he going to teach her? He was a brand new warrior, a flower that just blossomed and now he has to teach what he has learned? Oh well, he was probably going to have to do this someday, but he wasn't expecting it to be today. 

"Well first, you need to get a proper stance," he stated and immediately began going into the fighting stance by curling his tail in a dominating fashion and slightly bending his legs. He just wanted to get this over with quickly. "Having bent legs gives you the advantage of having a powerful spring so that you can charge at your opponent," he advised.

He knew he shouldn't be wasting his time with a stranger, but his heart was urging him to teach her even if she was a stranger, why? Because it was better than talking and he would honestly be bored.

"Ears back, teeth out, shows your foe that you are serious," he continued, "also, head low to the ground to that if your opponent is above you, you can snake your head up to their neck." This was really only the basics, stances were important, and Bluefeather was sure to pound that into his head.

His answer was positive and the valkyrie did was she could to not prance in place at the sudden jolt of excitement she felt course through her veins. Without questioning him, Keres watched and listened and, when it came time, she once more took up a mirroring stand. At first, the woman bent only her front legs, though that didn't quite feel right; allowing second nature to adjust her posture, Keres quickly corrected it and similarly arched her tail up to flag above her haunches.

Glancing at him as he continued, the slight adjustments were made as instructed; nose inches above the grass that shrouded her ankles, lips peeled back to reveal teeth just yellowed with age while her ears pinned against her head, the woman again let her instinct take the next step. A growl rumbled out of her throat, green eyes taking on a fierce glitter as she slipped into the fur of a student easily.

Thankfully, she was quick with mimicking his instructions without any fuss which was something that he could be thankful for in terms of getting this done quickly. The girl had to make a few quick adjustments to her stance so that she could get the correct footing which this was all about.

The girl also revealed her fighting spirit by peeling back her lips to reveal honey-colored fangs with her ears flat against her head just like he instructed. She was quick. A growl escaped from her throat with her eyes sparkling with the inner fight, at least Goldenwind won't be bored.

"Before any fight, be aware of your blind spots like your back for example because opponents love going for there and most likely zero chance you are able to shake them off." This was one of the most important lessons that can be taught because if she wasn't aware of places like there, she would surely lose. 

"One way to combat this is to either one, look for any loose limbs you can grab onto, second, if your opponent is lightweight and small, you could either throw them off or use their own weight against them and make yourself fall back so that they crash into the ground." He made sure to provide a solution to this issue, but he knew that she wanted to talk less and fight more which he wanted as well.

"Your goal is to pin me down," he said, "Try to get me on my stomach or back by holding my neck, your opponent has a harder time breathing if they are held by the neck." With that, he nodded his head as to give her the all-clear to attack him.

There was no correction to the stance she had taken, which Keres interpreted as him approving of the way she had followed insruction. This was well and good, a step in the right direction, though she did quiet as he spoke again, ears pitching forward to catch and process what he told her.

Blind spots: her back and, she assumed, the areas to the sides of her haunches. Possibility of shaking such an attacker off? Slim to none. He offered methods of combatting such an attack, however, and her eyes flicked down to his limbs, his tail as she considered the information. The idea of making herself fall was a little lost on her but she was sure that the more she practiced, the easier it would become to understand and execute.

And then he gave her a goal. Focusing on his face once more, the silver Ostrega's ears perked once more before laying back against her head once more. While it felt awkward to her to simply rush him, Keres was not quite sure what other way to go about such things. So, she lunged, springing towards him with the coiled muscles that he had had her prepare prior, looking to tackle the golden furred yearling that was, for the moment, her instructor.

He noticed that his temporary apprentice was processing all of what he said, he really didn't expect her to understand it all right away, after all, warrior training takes moons. Once he noticed that her head was back in the gain, he gave her the signal to come and attack him and get the man on the ground. As he expected, the stance gave her such a great speedy start as the woman charged at him wight a might force. If this was a real fight, simple charging wouldn't do, but he needed to give her a foundation.

Goldenwind knew he couldn't go too harsh on her yet unless the woman somehow exceeded his expectations, however, learning from failure is a warrior's greatest teacher. So, he lowered his head and quickly lowered his stance to get a better grip on the ground, and once she was close enough, he used his claws to grip the Earth and dashed to the side. The Windclan warrior was all about speed, the swiftness of a warrior was key in the eyes of Windclan for if you can outspeed your opponent, you can surely win.

He swerved his tender to the side so that his body would face her as she would need to redirect herself, but he didn't want to waste time, in a real fight, time was of the essence. Once he saw his opening, he wasted no second to lunge himself at her side to knock her down or get the wind kicked out of her. He didn't dare use his teeth for he didn't want her to go pack to her pack asking questions why she has cuts on her fur.

While she had been in a fight or two in her prime, and had even killed another, the nuances of such a dance were beyond the Ostrega at the moment. Perhaps they would come with time but, for the time being, Keres was surprised at his sudden, unexpected speed. There was a chance that she thought that, since he was instructing her, he would allow her to hit her mark, but that would have been too easy. Much too easy.

Before she could readjust, the golden figure bore down on her in a way she could not avoid. To the ground, she crashed and tumbled, but Keres would not let such a thing defeat her. Rolling quickly to her feet, the woman wasted no time in lunging low, snapping her teeth towards a limb as he had instructed. Though he was not in her blindspot, it was clear he had both heft and quickfeet on his side and so, she sought to attack before he could realize what was happening. There was little chance of this, but overthinking had gone out the window at this point.

His hit landed successfully for he didn't want to get crazy during battle as if he was fighting for his life. As she tumbled to the ground he landed back on his golden feet with a skid and stared her down and waited to see what she would do next. The woman wasted no time and decided to get creative and use what he instructed in different situations.

She launched at him once more and snapped her fangs at his limbs which he proceeded to dance around her jaws. This was keeping him on his feet which was honestly clever as he would have to worry about her fangs sinking into his legs. But it was here that he would give another important lesson, "don't be afraid to get a bit injured so that you can get a better opening."

The man had advised as he stoped his tap-dancing dogging and let her clamp her jaws around his legs, though it did sting, he would use this opportunity to show what he meant. Since she was focused on his leg, he used this opportunity to lunge his head forward like a viper and wrap his jaws around the upper part of her neck in an attempt to rip her off of his leg and throw her to the side.

Don't be afraid to take injury? It seemed backwards to her, though that did not last for long. Iron blossomed in her mouth, staining her teeth and gums seconds before Keres was taken by the neck, by surprise. There was a moment where she did indeed fear for her life and she could have sworn she could hear Erebus curse her name, but the stranger proved trustworthy enough to not take her life but simply toss her aside as though she were a whelp.

Hitting the earth, rolling, Keres gasped as the breath was stolen from her lungs, ripped away from her by a forceful hand. Her recovery this time was not near is quick, staggering to her feet and shaking her head to try and clear the fog that the impact had lain so gently over her mind. Huffing, the woman found the sting of her injury spurned her forwards, made her unwilling and unwanting to fold and yield.

Tenacious, stubborn, and hardheaded, she threw herself into the fray once more. Silver clashed with gold as she made a bold move for his throat before changing her tactic at the last moment, turning so that she could could throw her weight in its full momentum into a hip check to jostle the man and perhaps disturb his balance. Only then did she make a clumsy grab for his throat, twisting her body to try and hit the mark that he had given her.

She was trying, he will give her that, but this wasn't his first rodeo as he also had to learn this the hard way with his ass in the dirt. But Goldenwind has ascended, he wasn't a juvenile apprentice anymore, he didn't have anything to lose because he already lost so much that the thought of his dignity was a mere fantasy.

He threw the girl to the side with her scrambling to get back to her feet and get back into the fray. She had determination which was a principal of being a warrior, something that he admired. However, even the young and brash Goldenwind had to learn when to call it quits, and he fears that this woman hasn't grasped that concept yet.

He knew as a warrior that one of the most important aspects was to die for your clan, but you either die a warrior or die a fool. Die for something or live for nothing, was something that his mentor said before the day that the ones who didn't believe in the stars came and took his home.

Unfortunately for her, she had the mistake of changing her tactic midway and it costed her. She went to charge for his throat but decided to instead throw off his balance. Now how could the man show that she shouldn't do that, this is how: he let her throw off his equilibrium and lose his balance. However, he used this to his advantage and let himself drop to the ground so that he could roll over back onto his paws.

Once he was back up, he planted his hind paws firmly into the ground and used that stance to propel himself onto her by slamming his paws on her side once more and use his weight to knock her down and hold her against the Earth.

And then it was over. Completely and utterly over. Her tactic fell flat on its face; unsurprising. It had been too much all at once. It may have even been some wild effort to prove herself — to herself? to her long-dead husband? to the young stranger who was teaching her? It didn't matter. As long as she lay here, heart beating wildly, eyes focused on something other for the briefest moments.

And then

She breathed.

She breathed, the scent of sun warmed grass and dirt filling her nose, clearing her head. And then she breathed again, slower, more stable. Her heart rate reigned its self in, less of a wild stallion thundering across the plains and more of a tamer creature galloping with a desitnation in mind, slowing, slowing, slowing until she could think straight.

Green eyes looked up to him finally, seeing the golden fur above her again and calming the urge to wrestle herself free. I yeild, She claimed gently, now trusting that he would allow her to her feet.

The girl was admirable, she had the determination of a warrior but he doubted the warrior life would be for her, and as he held her to the ground the dying fire within him seemed to spark. But the loner knew that the life he once lived was gone and no amount of rehabilitating was going to change that even if Starclan was with him. It seemed though his student has met his match, for Goldenwind had the experience, the training, he had lost his faith hence why he had become secluded. He should be doing things for himself now instead of others to ensure his own survival, so why did he bother teaching this stranger?

Perhaps it was his desire to try and live a normal life once again.

But that was over.

The silver girl pleaded her yield and he complied by stepping off of her and giving her some space. As she would recollect herself, Goldenwind wanted to spare her a lecture and give her praises with very few words. "Not bad," he stated, "keep up the practice and your mistakes will be minimal," he concluded. And just like a man who finished his job, he began to turn away.

As allowed, Keres got to her feet and shook the dust from her coat, smiling slightly as he praised her. She couldn't help the internal preening but also did not allow it to manifest, instead showing her gratitude with a quiet Thank you. And then, she might have asked his name, but instead the wolf turned away.

While she did not chase after him, Keres did not let him part without another question. Are you looking for a home? Again, blunt, but she could not help it. She had never been the flowery, poetic sort of girl, after all. He could be a boon to the Spear with his knowledge of battle and his willingness to teach. Especially since there were pups there that would eventually learn to fight alongside their family.

Goldenwind gave a short nod as she gave him gratitude for his praise, but even though there was more to teach, he didn't care to stick around to give more of his knowledge. As he turned to leave, he expected that she would ask for his name for something, but he didn't hesitate to wait for just like a fight, set your motion, and follow-through.

But she did have one more thing to ask of him which actually did make him stop.

Are you looking for a home?

The warrior stopped and swiveled his ears to her but nothing more, he stood there contemplating an answer for he was, but probably not in the way she was thinking. So, he finally turned his head to her, "nah, I'm going to go make one," he stated with a small smirk with his voice well defined and sure, but there was a hint of snark in his voice. But this was all in good faith, so without waiting for her to answer with a proposition, he turned away from her again and started to make his way to set a new foundation for the new dawn.

His answer, while unexpected, made the woman grin. Best of luck, then. And so, she too would turn away and begin the trek back to her home. Perhaps they would meet again one day. Perhaps they would not. At the end of it all, Keres would be glad she got the chance to learn.