Blackwater Islands Tell me pretty lies, look me in the face

Hope you don't mind this being so sudden after the former thread. I couldn't wait to see their first interaction as "mentor and apprentice"!

The night former had been cold; too cold. Thankfully, there were many thoughts, astray within the brain, to use as distraction. Most of the slowly passing hours was spent considering the deal made with Alduin. Was it possible that Arashi could endure coaching such a hotheaded, stubborn wolf? Only time would tell.

Deciding to part from the makeshift den he had made nearer the beach, a short time was taken to stretch before calling for his new apprentice, @Alduin.

Get your sorry ass up. We have work to do.

The hound would waste no time. No sympathies would be set aside for the boy. If tired, they would still train. If hungry, they would still train. If wounded, they would still train. Life had no mercy to give, so why should they pretend otherwise? To be a true soldier — a true killer — the ability to adapt was a must. Regardless of what obstacles would stand in the way, to be able to face it head on without disruptions was non negotiable.

Impatient as he was, Arashi paced. Back. And forth. Back. And forth, tail swaying eagerly behind.

There was no set plan, really. He intended to, dare say, "wing it". Besides, what good would a plan do? If something were to disrupt whatever plan he may decide, what would he have to fall back on?

YES I love these two with their big, amgry, man egos lmao ;)

It’s early in the morn, Alduin hardly ever sleeps, but for once he was catching up on it. Even though he had only been sleeping for about three hours it should be enough to get his through his day. 

Only, he’s awoken by a howl with his name on it. Curled up in a random bush beneath a tree, he smacks his lips as he lifts his head. He knows that voice — that howl. It’s the big, angry, agouti male, Arashi. His apparent new mentor in a way. The hellhound would squint his blood red at the call of his name so early on. Rasping a tongue over his scarred and scabbed over lips he’d move to get up. Taking his time to stretch and crack a few bones here and there. Even lingering close by to take his morning piss on a nearby tree. Only then would he begin heading in his direction. 

If Alduin knew how much time Arashi spent thinking about the hellhound (whether the thoughts are good or bad) he’d be almost flattered. But not really. He would tease him about it though just to fuck with him. Despite this, Alduin had been thinking about their odd little deal that came from their original, bloody fight. How interesting of a dynamic is that. To go from trying to kill one another for snotty dominance reasons to becoming somewhat acquaintances in order to learn how to fight better. Now, that doesn’t mean Alduin doesn’t want to rip up his pretty little agouti pelt, but perhaps — in time — the man will become less insufferable to him.

When Alduin finally round the corner of the coast to catch him in his sights, his eyes follow his pacing form. 

And he says I’m impatient and hardheaded. Alduin thinks with a roll of his eyes. 

Sauntering up to his with his usual swagger about him he would regard him with a nod — a slight upwards tilt of his chin. His curled tail bobs on his hip as he closed in and his head lies even with his shoulders like usual. 

“You called?” It should be a question, but he says it more like a statement. His voice his rough and smokey as usual from disuse. He regards him with heavy eye contact, expression his usual drab, emotionless visage.

The devilish boy took his time. That was for certain.

It had felt like hours passing by the time Alduin showed up, looking as smug and cocky as ever. The mere look of him twirled Arashi's eyes in a quick spin.

"You called?"

If it had been a day or two prior, the hound would have thought it wise to contain any smart ass comments. Though, considering now they were on better terms (so to speak), why not have a bit of fun with it? It'd lighten the mood. Not to mention the obvious tension that was shared in the silence they carried.

Oh, so you noticed? Fancy that. His tone was a bit lighter; added, a mischievous counter. 

I can be smug and sarcastic too. Arashi shot the words through the air, a wry grin tugging at the corner of his lips. 

When they meet eyes Arashi is rolling his own too. Are they practically the same person? Maybe. Only the other male doesn’t know that he’d rolled his eyes earlier when he’d seen him. The movement even caused the ever stoic Alduin to cock a circular, white brow at him too.

Not only does he roll his eyes, but he’s hitting him with a sarcastic, but almost comical, comment. Oh, so you noticed? Fancy that. A smirk just about tugs at his lips then and the look in his eyes makes Alduin less on edge as planned by the other. It shows that the hellhounds own sarcastic and cynical type of humor might just be tolerated as well.

So Alduin would squint his eyes at him, but he’s not quite so serious with the motion. For those bloody depths show a pinch of humored mischief in them.

“Yes,” He hums slowly. “it was fancied.” Comes Alduin’s purposely drab tone, only this time he means it in a borderline comical way. His maw even tenses slightly in the ghost of what could be his one smirk.

Only then, he lifts his head some. “You planning on teaching me today? Or attempting to kill me today?” He jests lowly, tone dipping into a teasing rumble as he watches him closely.

So he would play along. 

Arashi found this shocking, considering he had expected some smart-mouthed response in return. Instead, he received the exact opposite.

"You plan on teaching me today? Or attempting to kill me today?"

This sarcastic inquiry forced a bubbled chuckle from the depths of his throat. Alduin was giving him a choice, eh?

The latter is tempting. Though, I think that's best saved for when you've really done something to piss me off. Arashi drawled with a small smirk.

The hound fell silent, then. Thinking. Thinking. 

He really had made no plan, so deciding how to begin wasn't easy. This was the first time he had ever been asked to teach anything.

What would you prefer to cover first? It was a curious and risky way to go about it, but then, Alduin was the one who wanted to learn here.

Though, Arashi finds it shocking, he’d be surprised when Alduin is found in the right mood. Usually, he’s always in a bad mood, but sometimes he’s in a less bad mood. It happens when he’s got enough childhood trauma to power an entire subway station, enough anger to give the devil a run for his money, and a snarky entity that sucks out his life force and bothers the fuck out of him every day. Still, through all of it, his humor isn’t dead it’s just gotten much more cynical. 

So when the other laughs at the hellhounds earlier inquiry, he too offers a huff of a breath through his nose as well. It’s followed by his voice, twisting around another tease Alduin hums lowly in good humor.

“I see. Another time then.” He says with mischief gleaming in his usually dull, red eyes.

Only then, after their good ol’ laugh does Arashi actually asks him what he wants to begin working on. Instantly, their fight comes to mind. He thinks about how the other man had him practically pinned on his back. He needs to know how to avoid those situations. For if one gets stuck their for too long death is sure to follow.

“How generous of you to ask.” He says first with that same sarcastic humor the two have shown. “I need to practice on getting out from underneath a larger opponent.” 

It would probably be obvious to the agouti male as to why he asks for this specifically. He doesn’t want to admit it, but he almost got bested the other day when they fought and he doesn’t plan on letting it happen again — whether it be with Arashi or a complete stranger.

"Another time, then." Arashi would hold this close in memory, taking such as a challenge. It was one that he would be willing to accept — at the right time, of course.

"I need to practice on getting out from underneath a larger opponent."

A wise way to start, really. In any fight, there is both offense and defense to consider; both are equally important, but so is knowing which to place the ultimate focus. If one has only offense in mind, they may find themselves stuck when pinned inescapably. 

The hound took a few moments to consider a decent answer before replying. With any opponent, there are two components to consider. One being their weight in muscle; and two, their size. Though they may often work together, they should never be considered the same. A wolf can be extremely tall but have little to no muscle. Being so lithe at such a height can leave them susceptible to being easily knocked over, having little force to work with. When it comes to a wolf with more mass that can be used against you, you need to focus on what weaknesses they have that you could take advantage of to subdue them. Start by looking for prior injuries. If you happened to notice a limp before the fight began, you would want to target that area with either a strong bite or kick. If no injuries, then look for a faulty stance. Should your opponent be even the slightest bit caught off guard and not holding their weight equally, then a good push will send them sprawling. There's one more I can think of... like you'd done earlier, you can aim for vulnerable parts, should they be male; however, I gather most will be expecting that. Save that for if you find them off guard.

Much had been said, so Arashi would give the learner a moment or two to process and decide if whether he was confused or understood it all.

Arashi seems to contemplate his words, thinking on them and finally speaking of them. He starts it off about weight and size. Very important factors when dealing with another wolf in battle. There’s a difference between big in height and big is weight though. Gangly, tall, but weightless wolves would be easier to fight rather than one with much more mass. Thankfully, Alduin is quite heavy himself and large.

He goes on about having to find a weakness in wolves his same weight or heavier, beginning with preexisting wounds. A good idea if they have them. His last one, he mentions kicking them in the dangly bits like Alduin had done with him and it causes a little huff of a laugh to fall from his immature lips at the memory.

At the end of it all Alduin nods. “Alright.” He’d say to show he’s taking it all in. “Then let me try my luck.” The hellhound suggests, hoping the other would take his invitation to battle him once more. Though this time in more of a paring manner and less of a ‘I-want-to-kill-you’ sort of way.

I'll post a dice roll thread here in just a moment.

 

Once he'd heard the laugh, Arashi knew where Alduin's mind went when the "kicking in male parts" was mentioned. The hound responded with a small snort, then an eye roll. It was amusing until it actually happened; he knew that for sure.

"Then let me try my luck."

It was obvious what that meant. 

Another spar.

Taking a small step backward, Arashi planted his feet firmly before nodding towards Alduin.

Begin when ready. He mused darkly, eyes focused on the boy.

Rolled a 9 for this post <3

The other snorts and rolls his eyes at Alduin’s momentary display of immaturity. It makes an almost there smirk appear on his lips. 

Still, they get down to business quickly. Arashi steps back and readies up and tells him to begin. The second he finishes his sentence, he’s lunging for him, not allowing him any grace period. Perhaps it would offer a pinch of surprise to his attack, perhaps it wouldn’t. Either way, Alduin would rush towards him and knock their bodies together. Obviously, if Alduin is to train in getting out from under a larger opponent, he’d have to let him get on top eventually. Until then, he would weaken his legs by knocking into him and going for his hind leg and trying to snatch it up in waiting jaws.