Redsand Canyon Within my bones this resonates [3]

Warrior thread 3/5. Open!

From the look of Nyra and the stunted pace of their travel together, the woman was not at perfect health. It had not occurred to Sivugat to challenge her outright during the transition; he was too busy mulling over his own poor state, stewing in his own self-loathing and feeding his deeply rooted rage towards Moonglow. But now that he was here and he had recuperated over the course of the past day or so, Sivugat wondered.

Their deal was plain: he would serve her in whatever way she required, and in return he would be free to live here, to better himself. It sounded too good to be true, and so Sivugat was resistant to believing in it, or in the word of the so-called Grandmaster. He was on high alert as he prowled among the darker parts of the canyon.

So far as the boy could tell, this was yet another pack of creatures eager to grind him to dust, but he would not allow that to happen.

Not me snagging all these warrior threads :'>

 


Nyra watched the hesitant prowling of Fang, as he skulked about his new home on edge. 
The Grandmaster once more came upon him, after some minutes, and tried to offer words of encouragement. 
"We are a family here, Fang. Mainly soldiers, fighters, yes. But we are loyal to each other." She said, striding now alongside him.
Her intense, golden gaze went to his face, watching for his expression. 
"You will learn to defend yourself well, here. And how to move on the offense, too." The shieldmaiden rumbled softly. She genuinely felt that there was much to offer him, and the hope that he would be molded to be loyal to her and the Saints above all else. 

But only time would tell.

He was being followed. It appeared that he was untrusted within the canyon, set to be tested in some way, and Sivugat meant to prove his worth and earn some freedom; but he did not immediately turn upon Nyra as she made herself known, letting her follow after him, setting the pace of their conversation. It seemed she enjoyed the sullen boy's company - perhaps she liked to watch him plot, as that's all he had the wherewithal to do, these days.

The way she spoke of her village was a lot like Kukutux' own, and deeply bothered Sivugat. He hated hearing about this family, about this ridiculous concept of loyalty; as if one was safe here if only they swore not to take advantage of others. The world did not work that way. If there was opportunity for advancement or survival, one took it. That was the hard lesson Sivagut had learned in Ursus. Family meant nothing, fealty meant nothing, only one's will and the exacting of that will on others, got you anywhere.

But he would listen. He would watch for those loyal to Nyra, because Sivugat knew the rules of the world well: they would come for him, in so far as Nyra herself admitted, to test his abilities.

Perhaps she would be the first.

This in mind, Sivugat turned towards her, squaring off, tucking his chin down enough to protect his throat; everything about him shifting in to a battle-ready stance, as he had seen Avicus and Aventus before, or Shikoba as she had come to tear off his ear; he thought of the bear of Ursus and imagined what it would be like to assume their shape, and soon he was hunched defensively in the manner of a black bear.

Nyra watched Fang as she spoke, taking in his expressions. 
Once she was done, she smiled with approval as he took a battle stance. Eager, hungry, much like she once was...
And still might be. 

The Grandmaster took her own stance as Fang did, hers predatory and poised where his was wide and defensive. 
The alpha surged forward like a cobra, aiming her teeth for his upper shoulder-neck area, where she hoped her chest might slam into his own as an extra hit, if he rose to meet her head-on. 
Regardless, the spar was on.

She came a him quickly, reaching for his shoulder maybe, he wasn't sure; she was faster than he expected and besides that, Sivugat didn't really know how to fight. He could take hit after hit but what he didn't know about combat outweighed everything else.

When he ducked to try and ease himself out of Nyra's line of attack he also swung his chest towards her, in time for that extra hit to connect squarely with his chest. He tried to rise up and wedge himself against her but was put off-balance immediately by the strength of her slam, and so he failed.

The boy staggered, hobbled about on his heels, grimacing from the blow that would leave a lasting impression - as well as fresh bruises.

He tried to duck, instead catching her chest to chest. 
Nyra felt him stagger on his feet, and here she tried to wrap her forelegs around him and aimed for a sharp nip at his neck.
Whether she hit him or not, Nyra backed off and took her stance again, unwavering and powerful.
"Use your body to your advantage. Use your opponent's body against them. Take note of every weakness and weaponize them all." The Grandmaster purred, a glint of madness in her eyes.

Was she still entirely sane?

Would she be for long?

She was more word than action. Telling rather than showing. Sivugat hated the sound of her voice because it reminded him so much of Kukutux and her effort to bridge the chasm that sat between them both, and as it went on he thought only of snapping her neck, or sinking his teeth in to her throat so that she would be silent.

Sivugat's ribs pulsed while his tongue hung from one side of his mouth. The fur at his shoulders was tousled from Nyra's forelimbs. The slick feeling of her teeth against his neck fur had resulted in a fluttering in his chest he had no name for but it wasn't new either, as Sivugat had felt such tremblings with each assault throughout his life.

As she took on a low and defensive posture again, Sivugat did not hesitate: he launched himself after her with the intent to bowl her over, as if to mirror the attack he had just been made to withstand, and hoped to budgeon her sidelong off her feet (which was nearly impossible, given her stance and training); everyone else in his life used brute force - it was time for him to learn the same.

She saw the rage within him as she spoke. 
Perhaps she would show him, truly, instead of being so gentle--
As Fang came for her, Nyra swirled for him and met him head-on, jaws wide and arcing for his face. 
She would brand him, make him, mark him-

Her own fangs seeked to rend flesh just as much as his did.