Fury is tagged for reference and visibility, Sovereign being in the hopes he'll join her
While @Fury was off fiddling with their nearest ally, the hound was left with the charge of both @Sovereign and the Strath.
Seeing as he could not part too far with the den, he figured it would be as good a time as any to see just how much the child had learnt thus far. After all, it never was too early to learn.
Approaching the Warchief's den, Arashi poked his snout within the arch and chuffed for the attention of the dagger. Come.
He beckoned sharply. You will spend the day with me.
Sovereign had understood when Mother told her she was visiting their ally. That she and Credence were under the care of Arashi until her return.
The General's snout found its way into the den, to which the young princess stirred and looked upon him with her mother's fierce gaze.
Silently, Sovereign slipped from the den and looked up at Arashi with an expectant gaze.
"Where are we going?" She asked, tail waving slightly.
His eyes would never turn to meet the child, though his ears were intent upon ensuring she would follow at his beckon.
To train.
The hound answered coldly, eyes lit with a burning hue.
Aside from Alduin, this whelp was the only other student he would welcome to learn all of what he knew. She would be the second, but not the last.
Continuing on, he whisked through the trees, a portion of his attention focused on the sound of the whelp's soundly patter. They would need to be secluded, hidden, protected. Nothing grave could befall the child — not while in his care. Fury would never hear of it, nor would he bear to see it unfold.
Sovereign hesitated a brief moment upon hearing the cold tone of the much larger male, but would swiftly continue to follow him anyway.
She fell in a little behind his flank, quiet and yet attentive.
The princess watched the ground, the trees, even Arashi as he lead her to wherever they would be training within their home.
She would stop only when he did.
The whelping den was not far from a section of land surrounded by a fold of thicket and lumber. It was there Arashi stopped and turned to look upon the child he'd brought.
What is there that your mother has already taught you, if anything?
He would not know where to begin until aware of how much work Fury had already done. If nothing at all, they would need to start at the very beginning.
The girl would stop as the man did, tail erect with confidence.
He turned around in a thicket of underbrush and lumber to ask her what her mother had taught her, if anything.
Sovereign thought for a moment, going over what her mom had frequented.
"She was teaching me about size differences and why they matter, and I got to watch her spar with one of our...allies? Mom won, of course!" She answered with a big grin. The faith in her mother faultless, to an obvious extent.
"She also mentioned and exercised using my size to my advantage, and using others' weaknesses against them and stuff." The Princess added, waving her tail with excitement.
Tagging for reference
Listening with great intent, Arashi was careful to keep silent as she spoke. It was important for any, especially a child, to know when the spotlight was meant for them and them alone. If to interrupt, it would strike away any sense of confidence or even honesty.
Once Sovereign had finished explaining her recent findings, the General looked upon her, a brow lifting in a small motion at the excitement she displayed. At least he knew she was eager. Such avidity made teaching easier.
It is important to know differences in size. While larger size and heavier weight can have its advantages, there are also disadvantages. Take myself for example: I am big, just like your mother. Where I hold great strength and fortitude, I cannot move at quick speeds. Should my opponent be smaller and lithe, they would have an easier time escaping. This can able to both combat and hunting.
He spoke many words at once, eventually stopping to realize just how much. The child was still young, thus it would likely take more time to soak information and gain a firm grasp.
Arashi allowed her a few moments of silence to take everything in before he would continue, shifting his shoulders a bit to alter his sitting position. Speed and strength are important in any situation, but that does not mean strategy or wit should be excluded from the equation. Tooth and claw will not win every fight.
Suddenly he'd begun to think of @Alduin. The boy was similar to how he explained. He would always jump right into the fray without first thinking. He sought blood and death, so there was never an opportunity to stop and think strategy. There was no win or lose in his battles; death would be the only conclusion.
Making use of the abrupt pause, the hound realized again how he had continued to ramble. He would allow another opportunity for Sovereign to hear what had been said, waiting for some form of acknowledgement of understanding before continuing.
The Princess stood at attention as the General spoke to her.
Granted, he did speak a lot at once, but she was definitely listening, taking in each word he said.
He mentioned size being important, but then he mentioned that tooth and nail would not win every fight.
It would also take effort of the mind.
The girl nodded vigorously to acknowledge Arashi's words to her.
She waited eagerly for him to continue.
The hound was glad the child caught on quickly and with ease. He had no need to dumb things down for her.
Imagine I were a median sized wolf with a decently athletic build. Explain to me step by step how you would go about subduing me.
She claimed to understand, but he would need to see the truth of what she knew for himself. It was about depicting the best areas of attack, when considering size, strength, and wit all in one.
Arashi waited, watching closely Sovereign to see how she would respond.
The Princess' ears perked.
"Like, if I were to face someone like that right now?" She asked, giving it obvious thought.
She'd never really seen someone she'd consider medium sized, but it wasn't hard to imagine. Bigger than her, smaller than him or mom...
"Since I'm so small now, I would go for the back legs first. If i can make them slower on their feet, I can probably make them leave me alone. If they kept attacking, I would use strikes of opp..oppertunity and my surroundings to defeat them!"
She beamed up at Arashi with a daddy's girl type gaze.
Sovereign knew her mom and Arashi were together, and in her mind, she figured that just meant she had two parents!
Though this was the truth, she wasn't solidly certain of it quite yet.
Yes, exactly like that.
The hound answered, nodding briskly.
He waited a moment longer, then sat to listen through her explanation.
Good choice, choosing the back legs over the front.
His first form of praising whilst ever teaching, despite the warmth in tone it lacked. Being larger, they would stumble over their feet trying to retaliate.
For the most part, it all made sense.
Thus far, she had completely one successful case scenario. Now for one with a bit of alteration.
Now I want you to tell me what you would do if your opponent were closer to your own size.
Sovereign considered this.
An opponent closer to her own size? That shouldn't be too difficult...!
"I would try to overpower them by using my strength and weight to my advantage! Maybe explosive, decisive movements and feigning would help with that..." The Princess answered.
She looked up at Arashi for approval, to see if she was still on the right track.
Last from me! I will be posting a follow-up thread here shortly, set to include both Sovereign and Fury.
The child reminded him somewhat of Alduin. He had sometimes taken challenges for granted, assuming they would be so simple even with so much on the line. Arashi could see it in Sovereign's eyes. She thought it easy.
Do not think, even for a moment, that an opponent will be easier to defeat just because they have a similar build as yourself. Never underestimate an opponent, no matter how they appear. Be smart, but quick.
This was something he'd been forced to learn the hard way when a child. He would not see another make the same mistake as him.
You've done well. That will be enough for today.
She had indeed done well. The General would report with decent words to his beloved once they returned. In fact, he was almost eager to do so. Gesturing then to the Warchief's daughter, he turned to lead them both back to her den. Hopefully Fury was there waiting for them.
The young princess's ears slanted as Arashi uttered the next words to her.
As he finished, Sovereign took in his words wholeheartedly with a gentle, single nod.
The lesson was over for now, then.
The girl would follow at the General's heel as he lead her back home.