Northstar Vale like steps in a dance

Trainy thread for @Xi'nuata !!
set before they go bounce into SC

Even before the sun had started to rise, the creature had woken. Drawn from the comfort of his den and the body he shared it with, the dragon had emerged out into the glow of the earliest dawn, where darkness still hissed its way across the landscape, illuminated only by the foreshadowing glow of the sun somewhere beyond his vision. There was nothing particularly important about this day save for the change in his routine. Instead of carving his path through the snow laid in the belly of the valley towards their borders, he dove into the woods, where the trees were the thickest. His nose was keen, keener than his single eye; by the time the head of the sun barely touched the horizon, he had captured a thinning hare. Its winter fat was slowly beginning to roll off and clumps of its thick white fur were pulling out in favor of the tawny spring pelt beneath.

Raheerah clutched his prize by the neck, allowing it to dangle haphazardly from his jaws as he wound around, moving in an arc back to his origin - back to the den. He hoped that his denmate had not been roused by the male's early rising, more so that she did not actually get up and leave. His steps were brisk, for this particular late-winter morning was cold; it seeped in past his thick, scruffy coat and pierced his leather-like skin relentlessly. He huffed and gruffed, thick clouds of mist spouting from his open jaw and his nares as he made his way back to the den.

This catch was not for him. Surprisingly, nor was it for Lham, either - it was for his fellow warrior, his light, Xi'nuata. Fortunately, through the thick scent of the rabbit and its blood, he could still smell her. The morning was still early, but now it was time to awaken. Raheerah approached the entrance of the den, dropping the rabbit before the shadow of the innards of their den before uttering a low, rumbling growl.

OOC:After her conversation with Anemone The warmth within the den, as she observed, was somewhat lacking. The late chill of winter crept through the hollow of the den imparting its greeting of the dawn by seep into the tired bones. Each breath, a lure to rouse the slumbering creature from her needed rest before the day began. Each breath, coolly felt, as a reminder that she would wake to the dark recesses of the keep alone. To awaken in the dark was not unnatural, for as pups they were born in the dark and dwelled within it til they had the strength to open and see the stunning light of the world. She felt a pup again, straining against the light yet unseen but felt through determined rays, coaxing the heavy lids to part and receive the world with umber and gold. But where was her companion? Her eyes still closed, she knew him to not be there. Gingerly she inched her muzzle across the ground finding the place near her once warm was going colder in his absence. He had not been gone for long, but long enough to make an impression and stir her further. However reluctant she felt to uncurl and embrace the cold, she did so to prepare for perhaps a wander through the territory. Toning crème stalks unfurled in her rise, spreading long limbs and tough digits to grasp for the air then retract across the around. The knots of sleep were pulled and stretched free as her jaws gaped with the yawn of her rise. Then she inhaled the scent of blood. The low rumble of her companion pulled her ears forward and raised her spirits, her tired lips curled with a gentle smile hardly seen within the shadows of their den, but heard by the song in her voice. She whined softly in turn then padded toward the entrance to greet her superior. For a moment the hare at his feet went ignored as she gave favor to the hunter instead of his prey. She graced his blind eye with muzzle extended, nudging the scarred flesh with care then left a peck on his cheek. Her head lowered respectfully as she skirted along his weathered visage to his muzzle and licked the fine hairs of his chin in greeting.

The beast pushed forward his ears as nothing but a whine came through the darkness. It meant that she was awake, now, though he didn't know how long she had been awake prior to his return. He watched her emerge, instantly scanning the details of her visage as soon as the shadows of the den peeled away, revealing her form. The dragon watched closely for as long as he could before most of her details left his range of vision - instead he felt her gracing the gnarled skin of his scars and his cheek. It prompted a subtle swaying in his tail, a small hint of contentedness.

Raheerah cocked his head to look down at her, again taking in her features before he parted his jaw to speak. "Fiiillll yoour stomaach. Tooddaaay, we traain." He instructed, gesturing down at the hare with his nose. Raheerah didn't part from her though, waiting until she was the one to move before he would sink to his haunches. His shoulders hunched slightly and relaxed again, fighting the cold from his skin.

OOC:Woot Training! Though they lived together and were often kept in the comfortable silence together, it was always a pleasure to witness the content on his face- however subtle the inclination of his glee. She could smile with ease even if it was by a gentle crest of her brows, and as though basking within the glow of a comfortable sun, she too could bathe in the radiance of his warmth. Her tail swayed with leisure even as she peeled from him, the strands of beige clinging to inky strands with the reluctance of a lover’s departure. Yet she remained near him, her eyes alight as she listened to his instruction and felt her heart leap at the potential of individualized attention. Outside of her training with the Creek wolf, she hadn’t taken to any other routine beyond her running. In truth, she believed it to have served her well, making it easier for her to creep with the extra weight of her physique, but as a guard of the Vale, she did not feel her skill improving. And thus to learn from the appointed lead was an opportunity she could not, and would not miss. She tipped her muzzle in confirmation, inching slightly away to better place the hare underpaw before lowering her jaws to slip into the warmth of its flesh. The melody of the feeding was a ballad she would not tired of, nor the taste of the flesh as it caressed her tongue. Rather than feed with grace, she consumed with earnest, near taking small bone with balding hide as the offering turned to naught but scraps in little more than an instant. Raising her eyes to meet those of her instructor she smiled softly in thanks as she lapped the finer droplets of the meal from her muzzle. She did not question what they would train for the day, but smiled expectantly.

Raheerah remained silent as she parted from him and moved to take the hare. The black beast in turn took a side step away, reclining back onto his haunches as he seated himself next to the den and Xi'nuata. He didn't cast a glance in her direction, but listened to the sounds of the woman devouring the prize, stripping fur and meet from the bone. The sound could have made his stomach rumble with hunger had he not eaten the night before. It was a fairly large meal, enough to last him for at least this day.

Once she finished and cast her smile at the male, Raheerah nodded slowly and rose back to his paws. A hard chuff left his lips as he shook out his fur, then turned his gaze to the edges of the mountains that surrounded them. "Weee traavel to the moouuntain siides. Therre will bee no resst from heere untiiil thenn." He informed her. Waiting for a couple moments for her to prepare herself, the beast eventually pushed off in a brisk walk.

He expected her to keep up behind him. His pace would gradually increase, taking his body into a steady jog. The beast would get her blood pumping and heart beating, charge her for their training for the day. In a situation of real threat, she had to be prepared to fight no matter the circumstance - whether she was leaping straight into a fight or had to run to get there. He hoped to condition her for battle on the mountain sides, too; the borders, where most skirmishes would take place. She had to be able to hold her balance on the slopes around their home.

As much as her mind wished to romanticize his instruction, the very aspect of it was no different than that given by Njal- she was to run. Only this time it would be along the mountain. Her smile waned but slightly as the disappointment settled, but as easily as the change became her, her countenance adjusted again for a neutral disposition. She would not ague. She would not challenge. If he too would instruct her in this manner, then undoubtedly it was because he too saw the same thing as the Creek wolf. She inhaled the mountain air and looked to her lead to begin their run, and stepped forward only when the black of his pelt began to roll with movement. She proceeded, at leisure at first then with a swift stride to follow after her leader and keep up with his feet. As they progressed, she felt the familiar burn of her legs but paid them no mind as she settled into a steady jogging rhythm. Her steps would falter only on the transition of flatland to the mountainous terrain, yet even then it was adapted to quite easily. She was born on mountains like this afterall. But the incline of the rocks served their purpose well, wearing away the idle fat that burning muscle might take over. Her breathing though even began to take through the subtle part of her muzzle. Quiet but steady as she proved her endurance.

Like his companion, the beast felt a dull burning in his muscles after several minutes of continuous running. His heart pounded harder against his chest and his breathing came harder, but it was nothing that would do him in. Raheerah was primed for exercise. He had traveled days without rest, he had torn through hordes of his enemies in his youth - this was nothing compared to what the dragon had fought through before. He ascended the slopes of the mountain and already felt the drag of the incline pull his body back down, making it harder for them to move. But he kept at it, churning his paws beneath him and pushing forward in blind determination. The path they took was littered with stones and trees, small ledges cleared in one or two bounds.

Eventually they did make it to their destination. Raheerah began to slow as he saw the small clearing. The trees peeled away to reveal the mountainside littered with rocky outcroppings. It wasn't treacherous, but one could easily lose their footing here if they weren't careful, or get their paws caught in the crevices between the rocks. This was where they would train.

Raheerah finally came to a halt. His jaws cracked open, revealing his pink tongue as he panted and turned to look back at Xi'nuata. He said nothing and moved out onto the rocks - some of them smooth, others jagged. He would allow the two of them a couple moments to catch their breath, but he would waste no time initiating the spar once he felt both of them were ready.

By the time the pair reached their destination, she could feel the dulled sensation of her paws having gone numb. It often came when running, when steadily falling heavily rather than gracefully on the ground. She felt nothing but the indentation of the rocks against her pads, no pain, no strain, but the pressure of her weight against the rocks. As Raheerah moved toward the rocks that littered the clearing, she followed suit without question though took an opposing side. She hadn’t thought of a spar taking place not long after her rest, but rather that she could not learn from him if she stood so close. One could not admire the whole if too fixed upon the details. Exhaling, she leapt for a rock mound of her own, perched with all paws grasping the stone with care. Her tail remained outright, swaying purposefully to keep her balanced and steady. Her shoulders were forward pushing the folds of protective fat closer to her neck as she lowered her head at the ready to observe, and unknowingly spar.

(Im on mobile and i still dont rly know how the sparring pits works, so im just gonna do a normal fight, but if you wanna do sparring pits then pm me or something??? :'D)

His shoulders and back rose and fell with each breath he took. Jaws hung open, hungrily drinking in the air. All the while, the excitement of the spar that this training would promise had fed him adrenaline and he felt it pushing him to act. Raheerah kept his position and watched her stake her claim upon a rock. The beast eyed it for a moment, letting his breathing return to its usual pace. "Iii doo hope yoou aarre agiile on yoouur pawsss. Looosing yoouur footing coould be trrrreacheroouusss." The beast rumbled, foreboding. He dared to let his lips twist into a sneer.

And then he lunged for her, pushing off from the rocks towards the one she was perched upon. The dragon hoped to use his massive bulk to shove her off of the rock, or at least cause her to lose her balance and fall off herself. His chest was thrusted against her own, and at the same time snapped his teeth at her ears, hoping that she would take some kind of defensive stance to prevent him from dishing out damage right off the bat. The goal was to know how to keep one's footing on the mountain slope, for now; so he would launch an onslaught of attacks to first teach her defensive maneuvers.

OOc: No worries! Im used to normal fights away, so this works better for me! Since she is a novice, I'm assuming a fight progression of her 1 action to Raheerah's 2 until she gets more comfortable. Sound alright? Agile would have been the last word to describe her movements. But she did pride herself on being dexterous while in the rocks. It was her defining skill, were it not for her ability to indulge when able, and it would have been shameful if she allowed such skill to ebb away over time within the pack. Xi’nuata said nothing, only watching her mentor as he braced himself for his attack. At first she believed he too was staking a claim on his perch until the tell-tale rolling of his shoulders told of a different intent. Her eyes narrowed as he moved, guarding the precious orbs as the wraith leapt from his ground onto her own, jaws parted and chest thrust ready to wind and find purchase on unprotected flesh. She recoiled by instinct alone, leaning back but catching the sharp graze of his shoulder as it dug into her chest as she reared her head away. Her tail lowered to her legs as her hindpaws skid atop the rock, then all paws slipped from their perch to another rock kept below. More aware of his intentions this time, she let her ears fall back against her skull and kept her jaws parted and at the ready should he came at her from the front again. She lowered her head to a defensive posture between her shoulders, once more pushing the folds forward to guard the vital vessel, while keeping her eyes better fixed on her instructor.

He was successful in dislodging her from the rock. Perhaps it was his own overbearing size, or simply that she was unprepared for the onslaught from the male, but he saw her slide off and down to a rock below. Raheerah uttered a roar and pursued her, descending from the rock he had taken from the female onto the rock she moved to - again, his jaws aimed to grasp wildly at her face, her muzzle, her ears, anything that he could wrap his teeth around. Of course the threat was far from real - if he did manage to grab a hold of her, the fight would come to an end, for it was not his intention to harm her.

Using his large form, he tried to shove her off of the rock with his shoulder, intending on making her lose her footing all the while avoiding the snapping of his teeth - or, preferentially, for her to somehow avoid him and try to use the landscaping to her advantage.

She was more prepared for him this time, however her methods of counter were nonetheless unpolished. As she leapt down for her with teeth gnashing wildly, she pushed off from her rock, not headlong but more to the side. Her aim was to ram her shoulder into his, using the force of her bound to knock him off kilter from her stone. Regardless, her pedestal would be sacrificed for another. Whether her intended blow made contact or slipped passed him, she landed on an adjacent rock and set herself at the ready again. In a strange way, she was growing to enjoy this movement of theirs. Even if the threat of harm was not real, in her mind it was a possibility- and it offered a sort of chill she had experienced before. Turning swiftly on her paws, she made ready to deflect him.

Instead of dropping down from the rock this time, Raheerah watched the tan female suddenly veer in a different direction, to the side. He hadn't expected her to take that route, and so she was successful in thrusting her shoulder against his. It caused the male to briefly lose his balance. In a normal fight, this may have been a moment of vulnerability for him - he would have responded with the speed of a striking snake to turn and lash at his opponent, risking falling off the rock in the process. But Raheerah wanted to train himself for battle on the mountainside, too; so in response he locked his legs and his slipping paws found purchase on the edges of the rock.

His head had bowed slightly as he shifted his focus to the rock, so in order to keep his actions fluid and add some level of calculated compromise to his moves, Raheerah swung his head towards Xi'nuata, aiming to bash his forehead against her chin in the process of turning his body to face her.

An opened maw would have done better, she realized in hindsight, as the broad head swung forward in the midst of his turn and caught her right under the chin. Having followed his movements to the best of her limited range, she had only just responded to his swing with a (slow) part of her jaws, only to have them slammed shut and hard. Perhaps with an open maw prepared, she would have been able to grasp him or perhaps deflect his swing with a bite for the eye ridge- but it was too late in the act to ponder it now. Her only benefit was to react and devise how the pain might be avoided in the future. Pain, merciless and sharp charged through her, rising both a startled yelp and effectively breaking her concentration upon the stone. The force knocked her back, inching her hind legs from the stone til they slid out from her pulling the heavy body into a fall. It was near instantaneous had it not been for the scramble of her forepaws to remain on her rock. But in the end, she toppled, falling hard on her rump with tail crushed beneath her. Again, she yelp, this time in genuine pain.

Still, he was expecting Xi'nuata to respond to the attack with a counter of her own, or perhaps a dodge; the purpose of this training exercise was to familiarize herself with the jagged landscape that had become their home, but when he felt he made contact with her chin, the beast immediately wrenched away from her and the yelp she uttered exemplified the urgency of his actions. Raheerah edged away, rearing back his head to analyze the effect of his attack, but saw only the sudden scrambling of his companion as she fought to keep her posture on the rock - only to fail and begin to slide off the rock.

From the pits of his chest had come a roiling growl, evolving into a strained "--nuata-" and a snarl. Raheerah had tried to move forward to grab her before she fell, but he was too slow - lunging for the woman, his teeth snapped emptily in the air in time to hear her yelp a second time. He was left looming over her on the rock, a frown deeply creasing his lips. Guilt burned inside of him for having caused her to fall off - he felt worry churn within his otherwise blackened and impaired heart. The dragon moved down to her side, then curled around behind her and appeared at her other side, pressing his shoulder into hers. "Haave Iiii caaauused yoou haarm." He growled, rumbling deeply.

What hostility interlaced in the expression of the dragon was fed only by his own shame at having hurt her. That was not his intention, and it was a clear sign that perhaps he had expected too much of the woman. He would need to approach their training from a different direction.

She remained on the ground only as long as her ego would allow, for as soon as her instructor came around she forced herself to stand. Her tail did smart, as did her jaw, but none hurt as much as her pride for having fallen. She was a creature of the mountain and its stones were part of it. That she could be knocked from it so easily (and hilariously so) when even the elements struggled to down her from the formidable cliffs, was an embarrassment she would not endure without reconciliation. “I am fine,” she grumbled, shrugging the away from an inky black shoulder to reclaim her own four paws. She would not be coddled, not in the aftermath of her own mistake. Carefully, her lower jaw fell open then rose to test the extent of the pain; nothing more than a soothing press on a warm stone could not cure. And as for her tail, the lush plume ascended like a banner and wavered just as openly before falling smoothly to her ankles, stiffening only when she move she leap upon her stone again. Upon her brows was the scowl of determination as she turned to face the molten eye of her lead. She said nothing, though her expression made her intentions quite clear; she was not yet finished. The lesson was far from over. They had only just begun and she would take something from it. [Leading out to black]

As Xi'nuata moved away from him, Raheerah complied and stepped away from the female as well, giving her space. He had hoped that the contact of his shoulder against hers would soothe her, but it seemed the small mishap had wounded her ego. Then perhaps that meant the inky creature would not need to lighten their training. She was quite intent on continuing, anyways, and so Raheerah gave a nod and moved himself into position as well. They would resume the spar on the rocks and would continue to train until each of them were comfortable in their habitat. This was their element, their home; Raheerah would be among the first to ensure that they could use it to their advantage.

exit Raheerah