Sun Mote Copse P.S. I hope you're happy.

She felt utterly restless today, a strange energy humming just beneath her skin. Towhee tried to pour some of it into a patrol, then spent a few hours afterward hunting just outside the copse. She returned (empty-handed), did another patrol, and normally might have gone for a nap but she didn't feel tired in the least. If anything, she felt restive as ever. She decided to put this mysterious oomph to even more use by seeking out another name on her list of would-be trainees.

Towhee decided to swing by the Blackthorn den to see if @Elwood, Finley, Penn or Avery were available and interested. As she jogged toward their neck of the woods, her gait was almost bouncy. She grinned to herself, chalking it up to her high spirits ever since Phox's and Fig's return.

Towhee's sprightly arrival was noticed almost immediately by Elwood, who was patiently listening to Avery tell him for the umpteenth time about her rock collection. The girl was thrilled to have earned her apprenticeship recently, and he was thrilled, too -- even if he found her favorite subject to be a little on the boring side. She was willing to let him depart from her company, though, as he moved to greet Towhee.

"Bouncy" wasn't a word that was often used to describe his goddaughter, but he couldn't help but grin as he detected the energy radiating off of her in waves. "How's it going?" he asked amiably as she approached, his tail waving in an imitation of her obvious excitement.

She spotted Elwood and Avery from a distance, her eyes tracking the latter as she departed. "Hi, Avery! Bye, Avery!" the unusually chipper Towhee called to her younger sister before turning her attention to her godfather. She broke into a broad smile, almost shivering with how deliciously frisky and upbeat she felt today.

"Everything is awesome!" she replied without missing a beat. "I feel so much better now that the band's back together," she explained, though Elwood probably already knew and understood all that. "It's not like everything's suddenly perfect but... it's good, really good." They were closer now, so she reached out and booped noses with him as she tacked on, "And how about you? How're you feeling? Feisty, by any chance...?"

"Everything is awesome!" Towhee replied, her flat tone of voice sounding as cheerful as it ever would. And she explained her reasoning in the next breath -- she was glad that the family had reunited. Elwood nodded his agreement. Things weren't perfect yet, but they were certainly improving day by day.

She asked if he was feeling feisty, to which he provided an initial nonverbal reply by quirking a brow. "As feisty as I can be at my age," he said with a chuckle. "What do you have in mind?"

She chuckled at her godfather's bemused expression. He seemed equal parts curious and entertained by Towhee's antics, so she didn't make him wait before explaining, "Wraen asked me to make sure everyone's in good fighting shape. I know you're old hat at this sort of thing..." Her head tilted as she previously flashed back to the war they'd fought together. "But things have been pretty peaceful lately, so I want to make sure you don't get rusty," she finished, her mouth quirking into a playful smirk.

Without any other preamble, she launched herself at her uncle. Towhee didn't aim for contact, she simply hoped to startle a defensive reaction out of him so she could gauge how to pace this session.

That’s a good— idea, Elwood would have agreed, had Towhee not initiated the combat practice without any further comment. He was indeed a little rusty, admittedly, but he was still able to drop his center of gravity in response to her sudden forward motion. He braced himself with all four legs, paws firmly planted, and while his joints creaked he couldn’t help but grin readily.

Nice one, he quipped, then quieted as he waited to gauge Towhee’s next move.

To an untrained eye, it might have seemed like her godfather had gone senile and failed to react at all (a thought which made Towhee smirk because of its utter absurdity). She had seen the way he crouched slightly, dropping his center of gravity and bracing himself for an attack. It was impressive, really; he moved with an age-defying swiftness while demonstrating a confidence in his own ability to take the brunt of such an attack without a proper dodge.

"I could say the same," she playfully rejoined at his comment before sliding back a few steps. "I think it's safe to say your defensive tactics don't need much work. But let's see how you do with offense. Come at me," Towhee invited with a playful growl and an energetic wiggle, "bro." She had to add that part just 'cause it made her laugh.

She seemed pleased with his response, which, in turn, made him grin as well. She then invited him to try his hand at attacking her, and he nodded readily. We’ll see how this goes, he said; not only did his older joints not always cooperate, but offensive had never been his forte. He had put his skills to use many times over the years, but considered himself to be more of a defensive guardian than anything else.

After only a moment of pause, Elwood straightened enough to seek purchase from the ground with his paws. He dug in and propelled himself forward. When his forepaws connected with the earth again, he veered to his left in what would appear to be a feint as he continued to drive toward Towhee. His goal was to throw her off balance while still lunging for her, teeth bared — playfully, of course.

A feint was one of the oldest tricks in the book (no offense, Uncle Elwood). Though impossible to predict accurately, Towhee anticipated it and began swinging her body broadside even as her godfather suddenly darted to her right. Purely by chance, that was the direction she had swung toward, causing his snout to crash into the soft spot between her stomach and her hip.

Ignoring the discomfort of impact, Towhee opened her own jaws and made to grab at his right hind leg. If she did manage to get it, she wouldn't apply pressure, nor would she try to pull his foot out from beneath him. That would risk injury, which was totally unnecessary. Besides, this was merely an assessment, and whether or not she landed her hit would tell her all she needed to know.

Not surprisingly, Towhee was prepared for his change in tempo and direction. Elwood suspected that even if he had attempted a more difficult-to-predict maneuver, she would have been able to anticipate it. The student had become the teacher, in a way; if his mind wasn’t otherwise engaged at the moment, he would have reflected fondly on Towhee’s days as a youth eager to learn the trade.

She was able to land her target and he felt her teeth press gently against his hind leg. There was no force behind the bite and as his limb shifted with his natural movement he was released easily. He regained his balance and shook his head with a rueful smile. Not as quick as I used to be, he admitted.

Her teeth closed gently around Elwood's leg for all of a split second before she released and retreated. Her eyes instinctively moved to his face to catch his words and she tossed him a grin which dimmed a little when the full implication hit her. Her uncle was slowing down due to old age. She swallowed, wishing she could shove that unwelcome thought out of her head. But she had to bear in mind that there was nothing she could do, training-wise, to increase her godfather's speed.

"It is what it is," she observed after a moment, "and there's nothing I can do to make you faster, except maybe put a banana peel under your foot." She chuckled, then mused aloud, "You're better at defense than offense. I imagine most wolves are better at one or the other." Towhee shrugged before adding, "You're definitely still a capable fighter one way or the other." Her assessment was therefore complete, though she wondered, "Would you like to continue? Just for funsies?" And because she was still humming with happy energy.

She gave him a fair assessment, peppered with humor. He appreciated her honesty, as usual, but interjected with a joke of his own: Well, I’m glad you’re not cutting me from the team yet. He had taken a backseat role in general, and likely wouldn’t be on the front lines should the situation call for that, but he would still do what he could to defend his family.

When she asked if he wanted to continue, “no” didn’t seem like an option. And not because of her; but because he wanted to keep going, at least for a little longer. Rather than replying verbally, though, he moved forward quickly to snap his teeth at her shoulder before digging his feet into the ground and propelling himself away with a laugh.

Towhee threw her godfather a fond smirk, laughing out loud when he sprang at her. That made her think: maybe there was a way to increase Elwood's speed. At the very least, perhaps they could maintain his current pace even as he continued to age. She had an idea.

"Think you can catch me," she taunted him, rearing like a wild filly and kicking out her forelegs in his direction, though he was safely out of reach, "you old fart?" The tease came out as her forepaws hit the dirt again and she bolted, glancing over her shoulder in the hopes her uncle would give chase.

Towhee turned the tables as she sprang into motion, heading in the opposite direction with an invitation for him to chase her. He laughed as he put on the brakes and pivoted, the maneuver slower than it might have once been but still relatively smooth. Not a chance, he called between chuckles as he accelerated after her, knowing full well that she could outrun him if she chose.

Despite the odds against him, he still followed her, not ready to give up just yet.

I hope it's cool to fade this in favor of the newer grandbabby thread!? :D

She saw his mouth moving, though she couldn't parse out his words in these conditions. Towhee tossed him a wolfish grin, then faced forward again, digging in her heels. She ran swiftly for a few dozen yards before glancing back again. Elwood had given chase. She'd gained ground on him in that first sprint, though now she eased into a more sustainable gallop and could see that her godfather might catch up to her if she avoided any bursts at her top speed.

It made her glad, seeing that he was still in pretty good shape despite his advancing age. Towhee knew Finley wasn't as physically adept anymore, especially with her hip, but she didn't think of that now. She tossed a wild bark into the air, one that teased something along the lines of, "Tag, you're it!" She wouldn't go too easy on her uncle, pushing him to his limits.

But when he inevitably caught her or grew tired and threw in the towel—whichever came first—Towhee would still be possessed of her wild, inexplicable energy. That was okay, though; she would use it to go catch some fresh game for Elwood, so they could enjoy a good meal, rest and conversation following the successful session.