Sleeping Dragon i probably shouldn't be so mean

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On her journey back from the coast Eske had begun to put more consideration towards her secondary trade. She was close to earning her Mercenary trade and in that she already knew her intended areas of focus. Her primary trade figured out and close to being accomplished she realized that she had never considered a secondary trade. Her focus had been so singular on her training for mercenary that she had nearly forgotten she could take a secondary trade at all. Though she did not seek to imitate Freyja in any manner the only other trade she could think of that held any semblance of interest to her (besides Mercenary of course) was Hunter. They could easily transition and coincide without too much trouble and none of the other available trades interested or actually fit her. She could not see herself seeking to heal, or skywatch or care for the sick or elderly or young.

It was a combination of her own pride and the unreasonable fear that Freyja might not want her to learn the Hunter trade too that drove Eske towards Heda and the Bandrona's den. Eske did not know @Wildfire well, if really at all, but she knew the woman was a master Hunter and hoped that she might take her on as a (eager) pupil. Eske's steps slowed as she approached, her ears moving to slick back to rest at half mast atop her skull as she hesitated unsure if the Bandrona would even be there. “Bandrona?” Eske called for her by title, not knowing her well enough to be informal about it.

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The Bandrona's whole body ached, though the stinging in her reopened wound was the worst. It took every ounce of her self-control not to keep licking the broken skin, to leave it alone to begin the healing process all over again. Wildfire let a long breath out through her nose as she fought the latest urge to fuss at it. There was more to the sigh than that, though. She was also feeling a little stir-crazy from being cooped up in the den all day and moody about the previous day's events altogether.

Fortunately, a distraction presented itself in the form of an unexpected caller. Wildfire sat up a little straighter when a voice called her by her title. Brows arching curiously, she gingerly rose to her feet and padded to the den's entrance, blinking at Eske. She wondered if the youngster was here because of the altercation at the borders. Perhaps Freyja had a message for her and her sister was delivering it? That didn't make much sense, though she couldn't come up with many other reasons why Eske would show up on her doorstep.

"It's Wifi," she said, trying to phrase it amiably but failing. It came out a whole lot edgier than she meant it. Clearing her throat awkwardly, Wildfire's voice softened considerably as she added, "What brings you here, Eske?"

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The flame kissed Bandrona appeared soon after Eske had called for her and the Goufa dipped her head in respect to her superior, ears slicking back fully against her skull when the older woman corrected her with a sharpness that she was to be called Wifi. For a long moment the fierce Goufa was silent, wondering what might transpire if she refused. After all...Wildfire was the Bandrona and Eske did not feel that they were on good enough terms with one another for her to freely call her Wifi. That felt far too personal to Eske. It would be like calling Heda Thur and the idea was so wrong to Eske. As it was, Eske had come here to the purpose of asking Wildfire to train her and so the Goufa acknowledged that it was better to do as she was bid. She had to prove that she could take leadership from others beyond Heda though it was only Heda that truly mattered to her.

“Wifi,” Eske corrected herself, her salmon pink tongue drawing across her jowls quickly. It felt so weird. “You are a master Huntress,” She had to bite her tongue from calling Wildfire Bandrona once more. “and I seek to a mentor to teach me for my secondary trade.” Eske admitted, not one to beat around the bush. "If you are willing." Eske added after a short pause.

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As she stood there awaiting an explanation for Eske's presence, the Bandrona couldn't help but note the differences between Freyja and this young warrior. There was something very formal about her, which was due in part to how relatively little they knew of one another. As she processed the girl's request, Wildfire actually managed a meager smile. It would be her pleasure to mentor yet another aspiring hunter. Maybe in time, they would grow as close as Wildfire and Freyja.

"Yes, of course," she replied quickly, black tail waving behind her. "Although," she added in the very next breath, "it'll be a few days before I can accompany you." She motioned toward the scab on her left thigh, biting back a sigh. "But I'm absolutely willing. Have you thought of a specialty yet or are you just hoping to acquire the general trade?"

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The Bandrona did not ask Eske why she did not seek her sister to teach her and for that Eske was grateful. She'd been a bit hesitant, knowing how close the Bandrona and Freyja were, afraid that why she hadn't just asked her silver sister might come into question but it hadn't. Not that Eske would have answered even if it would have came up. The Bandrona responded that she would teach her and Eske's relief was almost palpable for a few moments though she was quick to mask it. “I understand.” Eske responded with a sage nod of her head towards Wildfire when the fire-kissed woman added that it would be a few days before she could accompany her. That was likely for the better, Eske thought to herself. The last thing she wanted was Heda's ire or to make the Bandrona's wounds worse. She wondered if perhaps she could be given some verbal direction and could work on her skills while Wildfire healed. Eske was eager to start now that she had a plan and a mentor and she was not opposed to tackling it on her own for a bit, so long as it was plausible. The good thing was, the Goufa already had a foot in the door. She could hunt well enough to feed herself so some of the work was already as natural to her as breathing (and as necessary).

“Awesome,” Eske breathed, offering Wildfire a genuine smile for a second as her gaze went to the woman's scabbed thigh that she had motioned to a few seconds ago, before Eske's gaze averted. She knew nothing of healing and had long since deduced that she had no patience for such things anyway. “I was thinking maybe Tracker or Deerstalker, but I haven't quite decided between them yet.” As she intended her Mercenary trade to be her primary she thought to only pursue one specialty for her Hunter trade.

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When Eske mentioned that she might seek to become a tracker, Wildfire immediately thought of Freyja. "We could practice with your sister, if you like," she suggested, head tilting, "or keep it between the two of us. I don't mind either way." Wildfire knew there was some competition between the litter mates—sibling rivalry was basically inevitable, especially among wild wolves—so it wouldn't surprise her in the least if Eske would rather leave Freyja out of it, especially considering the girl's status as a bit of a golden child.

"Well, that's the fun bit anyhow: you get to dabble in a few different areas and figure out which one you like best. You might even surprise yourself," Wildfire said with a grin. "Maybe you think you'll be great at stalking deer but it turns out you're an amazing fisherman instead," she quipped. "In any case, we could probably get started in a week, give or take a few days. Would you like some homework, in the meantime?" the Bandrona wondered, wanting to feed and foster Eske's aspirations and not just let them go stale over the next few days.

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Eske couldn't help the frown that pulled the corners of her lips down when Wildfire suggested that they could practice with Freyja. The silver golden child was Eske's rival and though they were in a better place than they'd ever been before, the warrior princess could not help but still feel the competitive edge that kept her pushing and pulling. She'd been hoping to keep this from Freyja as much as possible ...which considering how close Eske knew Wildfire and Freyja to be she wasn't sure that it would be much of a secret. Still, Eske wasn't ready to let Freyja know that she was intending to become a Huntress as well, even if it was only a secondary trade. “I would rather keep it between us.” Eske admitted though she likely hadn't needed to for she'd made no show of hiding her frown turned cringe.

As Wildfire told it, Eske didn't need to have an answer right away and for that she was grateful. This was different territory for her. She knew exactly the specialties she wanted for Mercenary but Hunter was a lot more murky. So maybe she would take Wildfire's advice and just experiment with it until she found one that clicked. “A week sounds good,” Already, she was making plans to begin hunting right away so that she had some substantial skill for the Bandrona to work with; because as Eske did with everything she wanted to devote herself to being a good student (attitude aside) and secretly sought to impress for her subconscious fear of being faded into the background. It seemed like Wildfire had an idea similar to Eske's own plans, though for when she offered Eske's ears cupped forth in perked interest. “Sure,” She responded with an eager bob of her head, thinking that homework from her mentor would probably serve her a lot better than just random attempts at hunting.

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It came as no surprise that Eske wanted to keep it between the two of them. Wildfire nodded in understanding and assent, then licked her lips as she pondered an assignment for the hunter-in-training. What was something that could keep her both interested and focused while waiting on the Bandrona? She pressed her tongue into the inside of her cheek as she mulled over various ideas, scrapping a few before arriving at a decision.

"I want you to try to catch one of each of the following types of prey: a small mammal, a bird and a fish. If you don't succeed, don't worry. I just want you to try, so that you get a feel for each of them." Wildfire paused, considering, then added, "And if you want to try tracking something larger, then you can try that out too... but do not, under any circumstances, attempt to hunt something larger than a rabbit by yourself." She gave the youngster a pointed look, waiting for her to acknowledge her tasks.

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Eske felt relief as she watched the Bandrona nod in understanding at her half question, half request. She knew that Freyja would likely help her if she asked but the thing was Eske didn't want to ask her. She went to Wildfire because the Bandrona was a master huntress and the only one suited to being her mentor. Eske would learn under only the best, after all; but also there was something humiliating about asking her silvern sister to teach her (which was in part why Eske refused for the time being). She already felt inferior to Freyja and she did not aim to add to it. The Bandrona reclaimed Eske's rapt attention, drawing the warrior princess from her trailing thoughts, as she gave her tasks to complete. “A small mammal, a bird and a fish,” Eske repeated lowly, in part for herself and to confirm that she understood to the Bandrona.

“Track but don't engage. Got it.” She offered the flame kissed woman a sage nod of her head. The tasks were not overly complicated though Eske was unsure of how well she would succeed: particularly with the bird and fish but she was determined to try if only to report her failings or success to Wildfire when their lessons truly begun. She hesitated for a moment, her tail flicking against her haunches as her whiskers trembled with contemplation before her lips parted to inquire, “What information should I be gathering from tracking a herd? And how far should I follow them?” Was she to follow the trail if it was days old? Or keep to one more fresh? Though she thought it easy to follow tracks she had no real idea what tracking actually entailed and thus figured that it would not hurt to ask Wildfire as she had sought the Bandrona out to mentor her, after all. It only made sense to use the master huntress' knowlede as it would only serve to teach her and be to her advantage at the end of the day.

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Eske accepted the challenge readily and Wildfire smiled, wondering what kind of student she would make, especially when compared and contrasted to her zealous sister. It would be tough to rise to Freyja's level—the Feisripa was unprecedentedly talented for her age and had even hunted large game much earlier than average—but not impossible. The Bandrona found herself hoping her newest pupil would branch out in a different direction. It would not only be a change of pace for her as the pups' mentor but it would also give Eske the chance to rise out of Freyja's shadow somewhat.

"Just use your senses—all five of them—and take note of your observations," Wildfire instructed in response to Eske's latest query. "And don't go farther than one territory beyond Drageda or Heda and your mother will probably kill me," she quipped with a slow wave of her black tail.

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Eske gave an eager bob of her head when Wildfire told her to observe and use her five senses. It sounded easy enough. Then again, Eske had come to learn that most things tended to sound a lot easier than they actually were; still she was determined to try. She did not want to fail the tasks Wildfire had set out for her, and she would try to remember to not beat herself up too bad for it, if she did. She knew that failures were just as important as the successes. Failure was a learning tool, and when she did fail she had to learn from it, pick herself back up and keep at it. Just like when she sparred. Get knocked down, get back up. Eske let out a low laugh, punctuated with a teasing roll of her eyes at the Bandrona's second warning. Don't go further than a territory away from Drageda. It wasn't funny because Wildfire probably wasn't kidding but Eske's always been bold with a favor towards recklessness born of her youth and inexperience of the world.

“If they knew I've slipped out of the borders, or ran patrols on my own they'd probably kill me,” Eske admitted with a pretty and coy grin sent the Bandrona's way. “I will stay close, I promise.” She vowed to the Bandrona, hoping that her promise might help to soothe any hesitance Eske's admittance might have inspired within Wildfire. Eske was silent for a moment, working through everything, thinking that she might start on one of her tasks when she parted ways with Wildfire. Her blue-green gaze blinked it's way back to the Bandrona and a genuine smile tugged the corners of Eske's lips up, her tail swaying against her hocks. “Thank you Ban-,” She stopped herself remembering her mentor's earlier correction. “-Wifi for agreeing to mentor me.” The warrior princess spoke earnestly, if not a bit shyly for she was not used to expressing her gratitude (the brat).

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When Eske readily revealed her behaviors to Wildfire, the Bandrona knew it was an exercise in trust. It did trigger her maternal instincts a bit, yet she immediately knew she wouldn't tattle on the youngster, lest she spoil the relationship before it had a chance to grow. Wildfire did give the young woman a bit of a look in response to the coy grin but she said nothing.

She spoke again only when her new pupil expressed her gratitude. "No problem, Eske. I look forward to training with you. You're welcome to come by anytime you want," the yearling said, preparing to slip back inside since it was clear Eske would be disembarking imminently, "but definitely come find me in a week's time so we can get started. Have fun out there. And good luck."

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“chof!” Eske offered Wildfire in Trigedaslang, though not before wondering if the Bandrona knew what it meant. Regardless of whether she did or not the gratitude was clear upon the Drakru’s face and it softened her typically steel edged gaze measurably. She might not agreed with the Bandrona and Heda’s relationship — and this was only because Eske had been taught to understand that the Heda had no family — that didn’t mean she didn’t approve of Wildfire herself. She had obviously earned her place as Bandrona and Eske had no doubt that she would prove to be a good mentor. In fact, there was no one else the eager warrior princess would trust to teach her the ways of the hunt. A soft smile was offered to Wildfire before Eske turned and departed, excited and itching to begin.

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