Sorin had decided to leave the forest for today, heading out into the heart oif the Vale among the dried up streambeds. water was continuing to flow as the day got warmer, filling the previously bare creeks with fresh, cool meltwater. he ducked his head towards one of them, catching sight of his reflection in a calm spot in of water.
Gone was the youthful man he had been months ago, when he had first appeared upon Viggo's lands as a fiery smartass. Gone was the young brother who had cared diligently for his sister, a sister he was sure was dead. Those facets of him had been replaced by a hardened warrior, a man who had been through terrible pain, a man who had survived only by fighting through the obstacles life threw at him. Viggo had molded the young man into a great warrior, and he had used those lessons through his life. But in some ways, Sorin was concerned by how much he had changed.
Sighing briefly, the dark male raised his head to see
@Liri nearby. He looked thoughtful at her, his gaze falling to her missing hind leg. Sympathy and admiration were feelings he often associated with the sight of it, and this time was no different. Although, there was something else as well, a new feeling that he knew needed to be addressed. he chuffed briefly to attract the attention of he ivory women.
"Hi Liri," he said softly. It had been a few days since they had arrived, a few days since their early morning patrol. As he looked over her, his heart seemed to twitch ever so slightly. Although nothing showed in his gaze, the shadow knew he had feelings for her. He just didn't know how deep they were yet, and he wasn't sure if he could commit to deeper feelings right now. He did know he enjoyed her company though.
His gaze once again fell to her missing limb, and once again he felt some nagging feeling, like a voice in the back of his mind. There was something he needed to addressed, but he wasn't sure what it was. he shook his head briefly, his gaze falling to his front paws, and suddenly it struck him.
"Say Liri, have you spared at all since your...mishap" he said, trying to be as gentle as possible. he didn't want to cause offense or remind her of the pain, but he needed to know nonetheless. He was probably in the best position to train her, considering one of Viggo's warriors had lost one of his paws, and had taught Sorin some basics about fighting on three limbs.
After a morning border patrol had ensured that nothing was amiss in the Vale, the healer found herself tracking one of the thinner rivulets of streamwater back to the central open fields at the heart of the territory.
The treeline gave way, the pallid sylph emerging and making a beeline for one of the more substantial streams, mouth open as she panted against the warmth of the spring morning. She drank deeply of the refreshing liquid, noting the dark silhouette of Sorin in her peripherals.
The words that sounded from behind drew her head upwards, brought her turning towards the raven with a kind smile of greeting.
Surprise flitter across her features at the question, not having expected it.
"Some," she murmured admittedly, loathe to reveal it had been her previous mate to mentor her - lest it make things strained and awkward.
"Did you have something in mind?" She asked curiously with a slight lift of her brows.
Sorin smiled in kind at her greeting, once again feeling a strange sensation as the smile graced her face. He knew, in time, such notions would have to be evaluated. Right now, there was work to do.
"I'm just curious. I want to see how capable you are, considering you'll be the one to lead us." He smiled briefly, hoping to reassure her that he did not have doubts about her ability or potential as a leader. In truth, she was probably one of the few he would be willing to follow, due to the adversity that had crafted a strong soul. Sorin had little fear of any tyranny rising under her watch.
He looked around at the mountains surrounding them, a thoughtful expression overtaking his face as he considered the position they were in. The valley was certainly defensible, but it wasn't invincible. And if his worries about the neighbors he knew to be in the mountains were proven valid, then the new pack would need every advantage they could get.
He turned his gaze back to Liri, and his gaze hardened slightly at the thought of anyone taking this new land from them, or of her being harmed in any way. He wouldn't allow such a thing to pass, and so he would do everything in his power to prevent such an outcome. To that end, he intended to see just how much Liri knew, and help her learn what she may not have been taught previously.
"So, give me your best shot," he said, nodding to assure her that he was only trying to help.
Liri smiled slightly, knowing that he said it in jest. It was true that she needed training in the field of combat, her lessons with Kavik had been put on hold by the greencough outbreak that hit their pack.
The fae blinked in surprise, dark gaze drifting over the raven as she determined how to hit him, as he put it, when he expected an attack.
The sylph shifted into a lowered stance similar to that of a hunter, sizing the dark male up. He was not quite as tall as her last mentor but he was broad of shoulder, thick of limb. She had fared well - or well enough - against the Tonrar but what about the scarred soldier before her?
After a few seconds, which felt agonizingly long as adrenaline flooded her veins, the sylph darted torward his side from below. Fangs flashed as they snapped towards his underbelly though they would not pierce flesh should her aim be true.
Sorin nodded inwardly in approval when she went low to the ground. Such a stance would help her stay balanced, which would be her greatest challenge on only three limbs. His eyes gleamed as he saw her prepare her attack, his own paws flexing. The dark man shifted his weight in order to make a quick movement to whatever attack she may make.
Sorin watched her eyes intently as she began her attack, seeing her intended target. The dark male dodged to her right side, lowering himself towards the ground as she got close. Her fangs met the upper part of his shoulder, and he hissed slightly at the feeling. As she came forward, he did his best to bodycheck her charge, attempting to force her off balance. It would work better if she charged him too aggressively, but he felt confident in his ability to topple her nonetheless. She might dodge it though, if she was quick.
Liri found she regretted her decision soon after she lunged for the raven's side. She'd not expected Sorin to push forward into her attack rather than away and though her teeth clipped against his shoulder, the fae was knocked backwards as his larger frame smacked into her own.
The northron toppled to the ground, grimacing as her body slammed against the earth painfully.
Dusted a pale beige with loose dirt Liri rose, jaw setting in determination as she surged towards the titan once more - jaws open as they flashed towards his lower leg.
Sorin could have chosen to pursue her once she was down, but he allowed her to stand, wondering how she would proceed. This time, she aimed for his legs, firing towards him with the speed she could muster.
Sorin once again slid towards her right side, managing to dodge her blow. As she passed him, he twisted his head around and shoved as hard as he could, hoping to once again send her sprawling. Even if he missed his initial blow, he had a follow up planned.
Sorin whipped his body around as she passed. If his initial shove had been successful in sending her down, he would spring towards her form in the hopes of pinning her. If he hadn't landed the initial hit, he would instead seek to circle around quickly towards her right side, before lunging for her flank and trying to topple her, then proceeding to pin her.
Liri missed once more, only narrowly leaping out of the way to avoid a headbutt that surely would have knocked the air from her lungs.
She did not have long to prepare - already the dark titan was whirling towards her with another offensive move at the ready.
The Blackfoot saw him reach for her leg.
The coyote had fled; no one was coming.
Dark eyes fell upon the swell of her abdomen, swallowing heavily as she thought of the lives nestled within. She had saved another and taken her place. But at what cost?
Knives of enamel dug deeply into the muscles and tendons of her hindleg. She gasped at the horrible pain and then she knew only silence for several heartbeats.
Fire burned across her leg, twisting and thrashing she looked upon the mangled ruin of her limb.
A mess of red muscle and white bone.
The world went dark and Liri knew no more.
No more weakness.
The woman twirled, feeling the muscles of her damaged leg scream in protest as she threw herself at him with a mighty snarl.
Should she be successful, her teeth would clamp over the flesh of his throat and the impact would knock him onto his back.
feel free to respond to this however you'd like, Liri just has PTSD and flips out occasionally - usually during fights
Sorin had expected her to give into the warriors spirit eventually. He had not anticipated the fierceness of her assault. His eyes widened in surprise as she came at him, fangs bared in a vicious snarl. The shadow only had time twist to the side, trading his shoulder for his throat.
The impact of her blow threw him off balance, sending them to the ground with her above him. For a moment, Sorin was seized with fear due to the vulnerability of such a position, and his instincts screamed to go for her throat in order to force her off him. However, he quickly regained his wits, knowing that Liri did not intend to hurt him. Instead, he went completely limp, hoping to catch the ivory women by surprise. After a moment in which Sorin hoped her grip had relaxed in some capacity, he twisted his body violently, trying to put pressure on her remaining hindlimb and either force her to release him in order to regain her balance, or topple her and thus gain the advantage again.
Somewhere in the panicked haze, a new fear blooms - the only true fear Liri possesses, losing control.
The two slam into the ground, an impact that rattles her bones and teeth, Liri atop the raven who twists so that his dark shoulder is caught in her teeth instead. The healer remains above him, not breaking the skin she holds as she struggles to reclaim her composure, tail lashing in agitation.
Suddenly, Sorin sags limply in her jaws - startling her from the past.
His foot connects with her hindleg and Liri stumbles away to face him lest she fall vulnerably - teeth bared and hackles half-raised - with fear still burning in her wild eyes.
Sorin sees the half crazed fear in her eyes, realizing that she is extremely emotional, although he is not quite sure why. It is clear however, that this spar needs to end. He comes to his paws, his posture relaxing as he meets her eyes. "Alright, enough for now," he says firmly, making sure that she gets the message. He knows, in the heat of a spar, some will try for one final blow after the fight is over. Such attacks could have devastating consequences.
After she has presumably calmed down, Sorin walks over, sitting a respectable distance away. "You fought well, once you truly put all you had into the fight," he says. He had figured Liri was capable, but he had not expected her to land such a devastating hit on him. One could certainly argue she had won when she sent him to the ground. "You're certainly capable," he says, smiling encouragingly.
"Still, there are areas for improvement. You should probably try and avoid big lunging attacks. You simply don't have the balance anymore. Try a more methodical approach to get into attack range. You have to win based more on your wits than your strength or speed." He says all this as kindly as he can, not wanting to offend her at all. He doesn't want to discourage or belittle her, but ignoring her handicap could be worse in the long run. "Others you might fight, they won't expect too much from you because of your condition. Use that to your advantage, figure out ways to turn a potential weakness into a unique strength."
He glances at her injury again, sympathy coursing through him. At the same time, a gleam of determination and regard also shines through. "You may not have the brute force, but wits can get you by when strength fails. I'm sure you can learn how to fight in such a way."
The string of words that left the dark soldier's maws were met with an unblinking, nearly dazed expression. Inwardly, Liri struggled to connect her mind with the present and pull it from the past. She forced an expression of attentive absorbtion onto her features, nodding along with the suggestions proferred.
Adrenaline swam through her veins even now and the healer struggled to keep her gaze on Sorin. Instinct called for her to continously check her surroundings but manners dictated that she resemble a studious pupil for a few moments longer until she could flee and escape the memories.
"Thank you for your help, Sorin, truly," she murmured, a vague numbness spreading through her as she spoke. "I will take your advice to heart and apply it the next time I find myself in battle."
"We can have another session soon, if you'd like, but for now I believe I'm going to patrol our borders." She offered him a slight smile, an attempt at appearing normal.
With a projection of calm and nonchalance, the sylph nodded to the titan and turned away, padding into the forest with forcefully slow steps.