excited as she is to begin training with her nomi, blixen could barely sleep - well, no, she'd slept like a rock once she'd actually fallen asleep, but still! there was something hard and mean inside of her that'd tightened up at the pack meeting, but today it felt looser. she was nervous, too - hadn't she wasted her precious puphood on frivolous things instead of getting stronger? what if she actually sucked at this and her dreams of being their guardian spirit would be dashed? 

still, nomi'd already said she was strong, and blix believes her more than anyone. and if she isn't enough now, she will work and work until she is, and that';; be okay. though still young she's mature enough to understand that important things can take time, and nomi will help her. the excited puppy - youth - makes her way back to her mother's cavern in time with the rising sun, her burnt orange coat nearly soft-pink in the gentle morning light, and barks a greeting.

today she becomes a student.

@Thuringwethil <3

her stomach rolls when nomi appears, both reassured by her presence and heightened in her nervous energy. "hei," blix says, nudging her nose against nomi's cheek in greeting. there is a grin struggling to break on her face that she's fighting, trying to be a serious pupil.

it's not working too well yet. "i do," she tells her mother, though her ear flicks guility - her stomach'd been upset and she'd not actually done much sparring after all. but she remembers what eske said and now she knows not to let any lessons go to waste. it's a lot of responsibility for a young thing to take onto her back but she's ready to do it, and her tail wags behind her as she follows her nomi to their new training spot.

 she is expecting something like eske had them do - in fact, a large part of her nervousness had been at the thought of sparring with her nomi, of being able to measure up to her in any significant way - but it seems nomi has something else up her sleeve. she listens intently - mind stuff, okay.. well, lately she doesn't like to be alone with her thoughts so much. it's easier to distract herself with physical activity, but she isn't about to argue with her teacher even if that meant doing some meditation thing or -

oh, nope, not that. of course the unsuspecting child follows her nomi's first glance, then yelps when she takes off in the opposite direction - not the mind stuff she was thinking but vastly better. she wishes she'd been paying closer attention to their surroundings instead of thinking so hard about what kind of thinking she'd have to be doing. still. she's got this.

the girl spins and takes off after nomi in the direction she's vanished- her surprise has lost her precious seconds but she has the scent and nicely long limbs, and she hurtles through the trees like a bright red wrecking ball on her nomi's heels.

there is a thrill in pursuit - she is not like her brother, for whom stalking seems to be as natural as breathing, but she thinks she gets why he's so into it now. nomi is fast but blix is youthful vigor alive and blessed with a speed-designed frame, marred only by teenaged ganglyness. she is beginning to catch up as they weave between the trees when blix sees her - just for a split second, at the redwood - and she barks triumphantly, nearly trying to leap atop the giant fallen tree in her excitement, sort-of bouncing off it instead and ricocheting after her nomi's trail once more - ever closer, so close to closing the gap --

she is pleased with herself and triumph easily turns to cockiness. blix grins widely, ready to win the game but of course she should have known better. this isn't a game, it's real training with nomi, and the darker woman's form barrels into her easily, as off-guard as she is. the ginger child yelps as she rolls across the dirt, unharmed but surprised as she scrambles back to her feet and shakes herself out, falling into a defensive position and trying to figure out what nomi's next move will be.

nomi seems to be waiting for her to start so she wastes no time - she darts to the left, not trying to hit her head-on but aiming instead for her flank. the girl gives it her all, springing forward and attempting to get her teeth somewhere on nomi's left side, growling all the while.

honestly blixen hadn't expected to get a blow landed on her nomi, and she's surprised enough by her own teeth's contact with nomi's side that it's easy for the dark furred teacher to catch her by the side and toss her away. she bites back a yelp as she tumbles over her gangly legs, but she's a bouncy child and she springs back up undeterred, echoing nomi's growl. the ginger doesn't really have a strategy yet and so flings herself back towards nomi, toward her left flank again, this time trying to be mindful of staying out of her mentor's teeth's reech.

whatever momentary advance she had on her nomi - youth, health, whatever - is quickly overrun by her inexperience. she goes down under nomi's charge with a sharp exhalation of breath, her small frame easily pinned by the larger woman's - but she does not give up so easily, a writhing, squirming ball of adolescent muscle and fur, attempting to kick and bite whatever she can reach to try and break free.

 nomi is relentless - not that blix expected anything else - and once she drops her weight the struggle becomes futile. she feels nomi's teeth close around her extended forearm and yelps despite herself, going still against the ground. her shifting-amber eyes are bright still, fired up - but there's no denying that this round - or this moment, at least - goes to nomi. 

 she's breathing hard but her spirits and energy are high - made higher by nomi's voiced approval - and she scrambles to her feet ready for round two with a "sha, nomi." with that: the red-furred warrior-to-be takes off at top speed, ready to go through the process again and again.

as many times as it takes.