Duskfire Glacier Piusik

The man felt his heart clench at her response. She recoiled, blinking up at him with a pained expression. It was a difficult task, he thought, teaching a young one what it meant to fight. It meant that they would be hurt. There would be no way to train as a defender without facing such risks. They would offer their bodies in exchange for the safety of their village and the people they loved. There was honor in this, in baring fangs for a just cause.

When Heda tried again, this time her gaze was trained upon his body, unblinking and fierce. She did not cry out as a warrior but darted for him with her teeth bared. The northerner found this a remarkable change in nature. He watched her with a close gaze until her fangs snapped for his lip. Issorartuyok met her with his own snapping teeth. It was a test of courage, or so he hoped.

The sharpness of her teeth would make their mark, but his own would meet her. Would she stand brave against the growl that bubbled from his throat?