Step Forward- Warrior Training

OOC: @Ayvo @Leatherface @Acacia @Dovev @Vega | Located in The Trinity. Refer here for description. The early morning before hell breaks loose! There were many new faces in the Vale as of late, yet glimpse of them was so far and in between, one might have thought them ghosts or figments of the imagination. Were it not for the scents they carried, even the warrior might have thought them lost in the pines or gone from the borders. It as unsettling to ponder, and ideal she did not want to favor let alone become truth. And sought to bring an end to the break of uniformity. They were warriors in name, but it was time for them to become one in faction. Before the sun reached its height of the morning, Xi’nuata set out into the heart of the pines to secure a place for training. She brought no food with her this time, trusting that each within the Vale had fended for themselves if not than morning then perhaps the night before. And if not, then they would learn the importance of eating and remaining fueled. One never knew when their energy would be needed. A careful trek led her into the very heart of the pines, where there in stood the three pillars of earth and stone. A fitting setting for training, if ever there was one. Silently applauding the choice of venue, the woman raised her muzzle and let loose a summoning call to reach the ears of her faction brethren. The day was young and there was no time to waste. She would see them united and understanding of their tasks, if only afforded this day.

Acacia lifted her head and perked her ears, listening to the somehow familiar call. She stood and whimpered as she sheepishly attempted to find the wolf whose cry attracted her so. She began to pace to the right where she could hear the calls better and slowly began to pick up pace.
It had been long since she'd responded to any calls from one of her kind; the last time something of those sorts had happened were before her previous mate had perished. Her feet pounded on the moist earth as her excitement grew and she paced herself beneath the thick growth of her new home.

Larch's head rose swiftly from a bed of pine needles when she heard the call. Of all the Valers, Xi'nuata's call was the one Larch was most likely to pay attention to, trumped only by the calls of the Alpha and Betas. How she would recognise those particular calls, Larch wasn't sure. She was only really familiar with Xi'nuata, and their last meeting had started off rocky. Larch had been half exhausted, hungry and reeling from the adventures which had promised to be so thrilling and ended up so dangerous. This time around, Larch would be all business.

Arriving at the source of the call - an opening in the midst of the thick pines – Larch's head swung around to take in the three large scraggy stones. Her hazel eyes came to rest on Xi'nuata and the brown and white Nu gave a bob of her head. It might have been a buoyant gesture if her eyes hadn't been shining with determination.

With the recent revelation that a Swiftcurrent Creek member had attempted to raid the Vale, it was more important than ever for Larch to be on the lookout, and to hone her skills in case some other trouble arose. She was at peace in the Vale, but she had a far from peaceful mind at present and learning was one way of keeping it sharp. Larch respected Xi'nuata as a warrior and a caregiver, but she was certainly more interested to see the warrior side of the tan woman.

Beneath the pines resided many warriors of the vale. Ayvo was one of them. His pale coat turned smoky and charcoal covered as you ran down his lean body. During this day Ayvo had planned on patrolling the pack's borders, maybe hunting a few hares on the way through the pine soaked plateau. Protecting and providing for his pack as best as he could. He had been doing this routine for a week now. After his joining and regaining of strength the determined wolf set out to his tasks. Before the male could truly begin his day a call sounded from a wolf. Xi'nuata. The female signaled for the warriors to rally around her. With the sun rising in the sky Ayvo rushed towards the call dodging inbetween pines to get to her location. 

A titan rustled beneath the depths of the trees. His movement was swift, if not eager. Legs pulling his bulk rapidly towards the source of the call. He was being summoned, he was needed. There had not been a moment of hesitation. One instant he'd been investigating a scent, the next his ears shifted forward and he flew without a second a thought to his actions. Little else mattered when his superior called for Leatherface with purpose in their song.

Without announcing himself, he shot into the gathering. But while his feet slowed, they refused to halt among the gathered stones and wolves. Instead he paced, circling them in sloppy laps within earshot. Behind him his tail whipped happily, as if stinging at his heels to keep the momentum of his paws going strong. Eyes focused, his attention was devoted solely to Xi'nuata.

She stood still, an autumnal tree amidst the evergreens lightly dusted in white. Unmoving but not frozen, merely awaiting the arrival of those summoned for. Her expectations were neither high nor low, but apparently as gleaming eyes of umber and gold peered out into the woodland searching for movement. Eventually the foliage would part as first a tawny hide broke through the floral, then second a mix of honey and earth. The paler graces of a male she knew only by name came after then, followed by the dark form of the silent hunter quite elated to heed the gathering call. There were still some faces yet unseen, but she did not ponder too deeply on them, believing they would appear on their own time. The territory was vast… but the warrior was not patient. She growled softly to Leather, bidding that he find a still spot before she looked upon each present face and spot. “Good morning,” she dipped her muzzle to the whole respectfully. “You are here because you want to serve as warriors to the Vale… and I am here to assist in making these ambitions as reality. The title of warrior, regardless of its variation, is not given without the effort shown. Until you have proven yourselves, you are only ‘wolves’ of the Northstar Vale and your responsibilities are no different than those of the Monks and the Clerics.” She paused for a moment, allowing this information to seep in before continuing. “If you wish to change this,” she continued softly. “Then tell to me, and those around you, what service you seek to provide this pack.” Smoothly, her eyes fell to Leatherface to start them off.

Restraining himself the beast slid among the others, settling his bulk as he plopped down onto his haunches. Heart quickened in the company of other wolves, his gaze darted to acknowledge them, a moment later pulled back to center on Xi'nuata as she spoke. For the simpleton the speech was long, and he struggled to digest her words fully, ears falling back against his skull. He was not called upon, but a small glance upwards commanded that he be the first to follow the Gamma's request. Provide? Everything and anything if they so wished it. Hunching his shoulders with the effort to speak he spat out a single word, Food.

Ayvo had stayed silent upon his arrival to the meeting place set forth by the female standing in front of him. Bowing her head in greeting she wishes them all a good morn. The pale male returned the greeting with a dip of his head in respect but remained silent. He had been a protector in his past pack, something that his pack now called a warrior. He wasn't new to the terms of agreement on being a warrior: Protection; Selflessness; The whole noble wolf shebang. He held his past title with prowess and honor and he'd do the same here. 

When the female finally got around to questioning what service all the wolves in her presence wish to give to the vale Ayvo pondered it for a minute while the swarthy male next to him answered in an unwavering tone. The service he wished to provide we simply protection. He had no ambition to attack opposing pack's unless they did so first. He would be the line of defense inside the vale, not the offense outside the pack's territory. Ayvo gazed at the female before him. "Protection. I wish to be a defender of this vale" Ayvo replied in a deep tone.

Acacia smirked as the two males before her stepped up and announced their motives. She was prideful, but knew that sometimes it was pride that could get you killed. She stood on all fours and stepped up a few paces, being careful not to go to close to the boundary of Xi-Nuata's personal territory. She looked at the others around her and opened her mouth to speak.

"Me, personally? I plan on bringing a hell of a lot of attitude." She prided herself for finding her old personality hidden beneath her mask of shyness. "I mean, we can say we want to protect the Vale, but all in all, words are just words if you don't act on them." She smiled and glided back into her place.

She was quiet as she listened to each express their expectations. Some simply, others more complex in what their duty would entail, but it was not without a sense of hope for what was to come. Gradient eyes turned to Larch inevitably, though her lack or contribution was pardoned due to their prior conversation regarding her expectations upon her return. Calmly Xi’nuata returned her gaze to the group at large, regarding each of them with a thoughtful knit of her brows while formulating a plan that would suit and complement them all. Each had their own desires, yet in the end they would serve the benefit of the whole. With a thoughtful hum, the female at last raised her muzzle. “We shall play a game,” she announced, though her enthusiasm for such a childish tactic was lacking, impressing the actually importance of the suggested activity. “There is game in the forest, and as a team you will find, chase, and defend it. I will see how well you cooperate together, and how well you conduct yourselves individual for your desired tasks.” She turned to @Leatherface, her eyes wide and expectant. “You wish to provide food for the pack, then you will act as the hunter. Find your prey, but do not kill it. Killing it will result in failure for this activity. You will know when it is time to down your prey.” She dipped her muzzle softly then gave her attention to the remaining three. “Your role will be to assist Leather in his hunt, as well as keep watch over the forest for any that try to disturb your hunt- in this instance, me. Once you have found your prey, @Acacia, you will be tasked with assisting Leather in the chase and downing it. While @Ayvo and @Larch -“ she bobbed her nose to each in turn “-you are tasked with defending your sport. If I am within reach of the prey, or take it myself, you fail the activity. “If you all understand, then begin.” She would leave them to disperse and coordinate amongst themselves, but as soon as their attentions were diverted to the hunt, a glance over a shoulder would find their mentor had gone to fulfill her own role in their activity. OOC: Xi’nuata will be watching, but you will not be able to see her until Leatherface finds the prey. Take as much time as you need to build your character’s confidence and development. Feel free to talk, coordinate either IC or OOCly amongst yourselves. This is a little something new, so let’s give it a good shot :D

Acacia licked her nose and wiped it away with her paw before smiling and observing her new teammates. "Well", she started, "if no one else is going to go, I surely will." She turned and walked away instead of running, for she was unaware of what was around her outside of the collection of odd scents emanating from the surrounding land. She continued walking, ignoring the sounds around her and trying to control her instincts as she crouched and waited for Leatherface to find the source of her hunger.

Ayvo understanding his position in the hunt stayed back as the female started to trot away. The pale male waited till the female, Acacia, was a few feet away to begin to plan out a means of defense for the prey with Larch. Turning to the female he barked a greeting and trotted closer to her. "Any idea how we are going to protect this prey Larch?"

A familiar mask of focus settled upon Leatherface's expression as he was given the task. Do not kill it. It was a simple enough command, but he acknowledged it with hesitation. Squinting he dipped his head as the leader continued to speak, anxiety waving from the roll of his shoulders. He feared missing whatever signal it was that told him to strike, he also feared forgetting that he was to track and not strike at all; a creature of his impulses the true challenge was now not to give into them.

When the roles of this game were given, he's head turned to watch his fellow packmembers for their own inputs. He often didn't linger on thoughts, though the doubt haunted his mind as he moved to step beside Acacia. It was easy to switch to the task he'd been given, putting his nose to the ground with purpose; Leatherface did not spare a parting glance as he took off back into the surrounding wood with a low grunt.

There was no specific prey he'd been sent to catch, so the strongest trail he found first as the one to lead him. Rabbit, as they were bountiful in the warming weather. Leath confirmed his chosen trail with only a small twitch of his nose, tail swinging out behind him. He loped ahead to seek the creature out.