Blacktail Deer Plateau And it is sailing to the middle of the sea

On one of her rounds through the plateau Osprey found herself standing at the brink of the Lauren's nest. She had not set off with the intention to come to this corner, yet found it amusing, how much it had changed since the last time she and Mordecai had been here. Back then, when there was only dead dry grass, sand and melting snow this place had truly looked (and smelled) awful, but the spring - the great artist - had had it's touch here too. Where the land had been barren, she spotted small flowers with yellow heads sprouting out. Around the fallen, moss covered tree, she spotted the first green buds in the branches of the bush. It didn't look like a place a Lauren was living in, yet... as Mordecai had pointed out - maybe choosing a place to live, where others would expect you to dwell in the least, was a smart move.

She walked over to the tree trunk and with a swift move jumped on it, so that now - standing there - she had a slightly better view of the surroundings. A long time ago - like all little girls - Osprey too had had a wish to be a princess and now... oddly it felt like this wish had come true. Being a forest elf could be just the right thing for her.

hope you don't mind another one! Despite our other not being done ^^ I left it a couple of days but couldn't resist!

If he'd have looked up, Dante might have seen Osprey resting on her oaken throne.  As it was, he was a little preoccupied at the moment, tearing after a squirrel that shot through the middle of the glade.  He had no chance of catching up and he was sure the cheeky bastard knew it, for instead of flying up a tree it continued to stay ground level, taunting him with its stupid flicking tail and chattering nonsense. He probably shouldn't have been running like this yet but this... This was personal.  Besides, it had been long enough that he was feeling much sounder, if still sore.

The aggravating creature had taken up residence in one of the trees by his (now unused at night, but still visited) den and had grown a fondness for chucking all sorts of missiles at the alpha male when he happened by.  Today had been the last straw, and luckily the squirrel had grown bold enough to come within chasing reach.  Unluckily, its cockiness was well placed.

When it made a sudden dart to the left, Dante scrabbled to follow, but he ended up sliding sideways instead, losing his balance along the way but managing to sort of sink into a sort of splayed sphinx position rather than fall.. Thank goodness.  Glaring at the chittering animal, who chose now to finally ascend the branches, he growled.  "Just you wait, fuzz ball.  You won't make much of a meal but I guarantee I'll enjoy eating you all the same." He muttered darkly, though finishing with a sigh.  The spastic little things were just too darn quick for him.

Osprey's little daydream bubble was burst by the appearance of Dante, who was going after a little squirrel. She first frowned at the trespassers, but they didn't seem to have noticed her, therefore she settled down and watched the battle of speed and wits unfold. However, when the tiny creature sped up a tree, leaving it's pursuer at the bottom of it, sending curses it's way, but being unable to do anything else, even this excitement lost it's appeal.

"Need a helping hand?" she asked, jumping off the tree trunk and approaching her friend. "Though I am not equipped to climb trees," Osprey went on, stopping not far from him and lifting her head to find the squirrel with her eyes, but without success. "Moral support, perhaps?" she looked at him again, tilting her head to the side. 

Osprey had gone entirely undetected, so when she spoke behind him, he definitely jumped a bit in surprise. His head turned to see, ears processing and recognizing her voice just as he laid eyes on her. Oh. Here he was, so involved in a one-way conversation with a squirrel that he hadn't even considered the fact that another might have been nearby. Not one of his finer moments.

"That's too bad. I'd have enjoyed seeing it's reaction if one of us could follow it up there." He cast an irritated eye back up the tree, where the annoying creature could still be heard chittering away. It had passed from his range of sight as well. "I doubt it will be coming back down anytime soon, though I'm pretty sure I know where it lives." Right over his den, of course. "Actually," he went on, hearing the telltale sound of a missile hitting the leaves to his left. "Mind if we relocate?" He looked at her, then at the path he'd taken to get to the tree where they were now standing. "I didn't interrupt anything, did I?" He hadn't even looked to see what was around, so intent had he been on his chase. His ears tilted sideways slightly, chagrined at the thought that he might have disturbed her mid-hunt or relaxing.

"So, is it a friend of yours?" Osprey asked innocently, looking up once again, trying to spot the squirrel, all the while finding it a bit funny that the leader of the pack had troubles with the tiny critter. It should have been the other way round - they were predators after all.

"No, not really," Osprey shook her head. Though she enjoyed her solitude and precious moments of daydreaming, she realized that she needed to socialize with people more, whenever the opportunity presented itself - the way it had happened now. "Sure - let's go," she stepped aside letting Dante choose the direction and destination.

"What's new in the kingdom of yours?" she asked casually.

He too cast one final glance upwards before leading the way out of firing range, shaking his head at her question. "I don't think it is much interested in friendship. Bouncing things off my skull seems much more entertaining." He couldn't really blame the creature, annoying as it was. For the squirrel, tormenting him was likely the height of hilarity. The big dumb wolf couldn't even get the fleet creature back. "I think it's aim is improving with the practice, too."

He was glad he had not bothered her, though he couldn't help but wonder what she had been thinking about. She wasn't the easiest wolf to read, and though Dante didn't make a habit of over analyzing others (one of few things he refrained from analyzing), he liked to know how the thoughts of his friends ran. A bit of a double standard since he so rarely disclosed his own, and never fully.

Her final question was one he wasn't sure how to answer, mostly because things had been so quiet lately. He thought for a moment as they walked, then paused by a tree to get an itch that plagued his shoulder in a spot too far to reach. As he did so, he decided on what news to share. "Not much, to be honest. But that may be a good thing. I have been thinking.. I will use this quiet time as a chance to get back to training." He paused in scratching to look at her. "I am no longer ashamed for what happened with Koda, but it is not something I wish to be repeated if I can avoid it."

Having a squirrel that was constantly attacking you by throwing stuff at your head, was funny and definitely an experience Osprey never wanted to have herself. She considered that Dante was already somewhat "hurt" therefore she suppressed a chuckle, but the smile and the amused glint in her eyes was hard to wipe away. She didn't even try.

Having never been a fighter herself, Osprey did not understand the full extent of the damage the lost fight to Koda had taken on Dante, but this was probably a manly pride thing that you did not need to delve in too much details to get a clear idea, but simply needed to accept. "Good to know that you see a positive side and way out of the situation," she said, probably choosing not the best words, but in her defence - she didn't know, what her response should have been. "So, how are you planning to train and practice?" she did recall him mentioning the warrior training back at his old home and was curious to know more about it.

He failed to be offended by her smiling, for he had done quite a bit of laughing over the matter himself. It was a ridiculous issue to have, and he could only hope after a while the novelty of tormenting him would wear off. Or someone would manage to eat the darn thing. Maybe an owl would oblige him.

He nodded, taking a little happiness from the novelty of what she said. It wasn't often that 'positive' was used to describe his manner of thinking, but in this he supposed he was. He might not be the most upbeat of characters, but he also didn't put much stock in brooding. It was exhausting not only for him, but likely for others who were forced to be around him.

"I'm not one hundred percent positive yet. Track down a few spars, most likely." His previous training wasn't something he ever desired to engage in here, so he'd have to find new ways. Some of the old lessons could apply in some capacity, though. He might no longer like the comparison of a hunt and a fight, but it was true they shared similarities. Thinking of an enemy as prey might be a harsh outlook but seeing prey as similar to an enemy had merits. "Work on some solo hunting, perhaps. Carefully." He had no desire to be laid low for biting off more than he could chew.

"Well, I am no use in sparring and solo hunting is not my deal, when the large beasts are in question," Osprey was musing loudly, trying to figure, how she could possibly help Dante in achieving his goals, and coming to the sad conclusion that aside from being "brains on feet" she was no use to him at all. Story-telling or being clever with words or roleplaying could not save your life or aid you in the battle in any way, though... it was not such a bad idea to have leadership challenges play out as a battle of wits.

"I could teach you, however, how to run for your life and scream your lungs out?" she humoured, attempting to turn her own weakness and inability to fight, in a bonus. "Just think - if you could scare the wits out of your enemy by making a horrible noise. They would be dumbfounded or confused in the beginning at least."

He was surprised by her admittance that sparring wasn't something she was skilled in, though he wasn't sure why he had assumed differently. They had never spoken on the subject, but with her frequent travels he guessed he had assumed. He was in no way bothered that her talents lay in other areas, but it did a bit to cement his own desire to once more pick up the skill. They needed to be able to defend themselves should something happen, and he wasn't sure how much the others knew either.

"Throw them off their guard. I like it." Realistically he didn't know if a seasoned fighter would be much taken about, but it was a fun thought. Shock them into giving a moment's advantage. And knowing when to bail was a useful skill, so long as the fight wasn't on their ground. If a threat came to the plateau, though, he had little doubts that he would stand between until it was gone or he was. Not a cheering thought.

"I may have to take you up on that. I can't refuse a new skill, after all." Besides, usually such offers came with a little fun, and it had been a while since the two of them had done so. So much had happened since their last adventure.

Osprey was a little unsure, whether had taken her offer seriously or was playing along. She was not an expert in reading people and, even though she had known Dante for quite some time now and could predict some of his actions in certain situations, there was still a lot that was a mystery to her. This moment of confusion didn't last long, however. She had offered this to have fun in the first place.


"The art of screaming is a very complicated one," she began in a serious tone that required the other party to pay attention. "There are many types of screams and you can arrange them in various groups depending on use," here Osprey paused a little and then went on. "Since you are a smart guy - can you tell at least, what two different types of screams are there?" It was no fun playing alone, if he wanted to learn something, he had to join in.

ooc: if you have time, maybe we can swap some quick posts and finish this in the next week. If you don't, we can find a way to fade this out.

We can fade this whenever you wish, I'm good with that :) I'm also intending to prioritize this so quick posts would work also

He sat at stock still attention as she spoke, nodding seriously, every bit the ideal pupil. Internally he was reminded of his lessons of youth, but the subject matter was so hilariously different that he had a hard time keeping a straight face. Somehow he managed. He couldn't stop his lips from curling up, though, when she referred to him as a 'pretty smart guy'.

He could throw out a guess... screaming wasn't really his forte. Noise wasn't much his cup of tea, though somehow it often seemed to come into play when they hung out. She had fewer qualms about that sort of thing, somehow, though how anyone could feel at ease yelling at random was well beyond him.

"Anger and fear?" he posed, the question in it denoting that he wasn't positive on that answer. It made perfect sense to him, that the two would be different, though he questioned if that was a little too broad for what she was getting at.

"Anger and fear, brilliant!" Osprey praised him, even though anything he had said, would have worked. This was not a serious training, rather messing around and playing. Fun was something, she believed, Dante did not have nearly enough in life. "A roar and a scream - convey emotions." She fell silent, since it was not easy to pretend to be an expert and have no real theoretical base.

"But if you want to surprise your enemy and catch him or her off guard, you have to... holler on top of your lungs... come up with something original and scary, of course," she now got to her feet and stretched, as if preparing herself for action. "So, recruit. Now, come up with the deadliest scream you have," she took a step back and looked him briefly in the eyes, challenging. "Try me!"



ooc: you can fade this out in your next post and you can powerplay Osprey, if needed.

Original and scary. At one point he had held a good grasp on the latter, though the former was something that escaped him. Originality was more for those who enjoyed standing out. He would give it an attempt, for the sake of her teaching and his own knowledge this was merely meant to be a fun game.

It would still take him a few tries to appease his taskmaster of a teacher, but by the end he was having a hard time holding back laughter that would have definitely shattered the 'scary' aspect. Not that it was coming across particularly well anyway.

It was an enjoyable, albeit uncomfortable at first, time as usual, and he found the release of a bit of shouting did much to relieve tension. It wasn't a practice he would pick up often, but a happy happening all the same.