Silvertip Mountain Expect the unexpected

@Moon Shadow

Steady had a few days to think about his next lesson for Moon Shadow. She had been an attentive student in their first session, and he hoped she had taken the time to review and maybe even try a spar with another wolf. Even if she hadn't, it was okay.

Today, he planned their lesson in an open field on the side of the mountain, not quite half way up. He howled for Moon Shadow, asking her to come, then made his way to the outskirts of the field, settling himself behind a fallen log. When he was confident he was hidden, he waited for her to appear.

Moon shadow had been doing the usual exploring of her new home when she had heard steady's call. She had been exploring a particularly rocky forest and started to run towards the call. She soon came upon a large open field on the side of the mountain. She had been practicing fighting with herself for the past couple of days. She would go to clearing half way up the mountain she had discovered and train with herself. She looked around for steady, before calling for him.

"Steady where are you?" she yelled. She hadn't had an idea to where he was. She suddenly felt on edge as he had started off their first match with a surprise. She started to explore the field in the hopes of finding where steady may be hiding.

Moon Shadow came into the clearing, a little confused when she didn't immediately see Steady. He hunkered down a bit more, ensuring he was hidden. She began to look for him, calling out for him, but Steady didn't respond. Instead, he waited until she came close to his hiding spot. She could have followed his scent to his hiding spot, which would have been fine since she still wouldn't know that he was actually waiting for her.

When she was close, Steady suddenly bolted out of his spot, lunging towards her in attempt to pounce her, though he wouldn't put all of his weight behind it. He hoped to catch her off guard, knowing she needed to learn to think fast. Enemies weren't always in plain sight. Successful or not in his pounce, he would turn quickly to face her, giving her a spare moment to see if she would make an offensive move.

I'm so sorry for being gone so long! Christmas made me super busy along with getting my stuff taken away. Here is your long awaited post.

When steady came running towards her she immediately bounded out of the way before offering up her own offensive move. She ran towards him this time going for his back legs hoping to knock him down he had tried to do. If she was successful she would try to pin him down, but she wasn't completely sure she would be able to do it since he was a more experienced warrior than her. Still she would try her best.

No worries! Holidays have been crazy for me, too!

She was quick on her paws this time around, and he was glad for it. She was learning. She evaded his pounce and turned to give her own. Steady chuckled as he stood there, letting her pounce him, knowing her weight wouldn't accomplish it. If he had already been going down, or unsteady on his paws, she would have had a better chance.

Like a bull, he bucked his back end up, trying to throw her off before taking off towards the woods again. He was playing defense today, allowing her to try and think offensively. Steady didn't run at full speed, as he hoped she would run after him and come up with a way to sweep him off his paws.

Moon shadow had tried her best but to no avail. She wasn't easily discouraged though and this made her try harder. She noticed that steady wasn't attacking this time but playing defensively. She ran after him going fast but making sure that she wasn't going to fast that she would skid or run into something. As she was approaching him she thought of an idea. Maybe if she tried to jump on him she could bring him done. It was risky though and could easily fail this. She decided she would take the risk and go with it. She hoped she wouldn't  fail this though.

All of a sudden, he felt weight on his back end, and he knew Moon Shadow had pounced on him. It worked. The extra weight threw off his stride, and he went down, ending up on his side in the snow. But, he wouldn't go down without a fight.

He rolled onto his back, his legs flailing in the air, attempting to confuse her a bit. If she got too close, he would attempted to maw at her wherever he could. He growled playfully as he tried to fend her off.

Moon shadow felt very excited and proud of herself when she had brought down steady but that excitement was short lived, for when he was down he starting kicking his legs up, in which confusing moon shadow and made her back up. This didn't make her back off though and she was already thinking of new way to attack without being to easily outsmarted again. She came close to steady and he growled in playful manner and she let out her own playful growl. She decided she would go for legs since it was impossible to knock him down with her own body since she was so much smaller than him. She circled him before coming up from behind him and snapping at his legs, but not to hard so she would hurt her pack mate.

He was glad to see that she didn't just give up when he began flailing his legs about. While he understood this wasn't a real fight, the determination should still be there, and it seemed to be. Moon Shadow tried snapping at his back legs, and she was convincing enough that Steady stopped what he was doing and rolled onto his belly, standing.

He faced her, wanting to see just how much determination she had in her. This is going to continue until you knock me over, he said. He didn't want her to think just because she was smaller that she couldn't over power him. If she believed enough, and put enough effort into it, he knew she could. He wouldn't attack. Instead, he would just stand there until she figured out a way to get him on the ground.

As steady told moon shadow this would continue until she knocked him down, she started to devise a plan. She knew steady was bigger than her in size so it would be harder but her determination never weaken. She knew she could do this. She then got an idea. If ran at him from a distantance she would be able to build up power and then with her own power she could try knock him down. She had no idea if it would even work but she was still going to try. She wanted prove to herself she could be as strong as any wolf, even if they were bigger than her in size. As she ran back toward steady her sea green eyes were blazing with determination.

He watched her expression, clearly lost in thought as she tried to figure out a way to knock him over. She seemed to walk away from him, but surely she couldn't have given up. That's definitely not what he was teaching her. Then, she turned and began running at him. He furrowed his brows, having a few seconds as she barreled towards him. A split second before she would have run into him, he sidestepped out of her path, turning to face her. No, no, no. That would not work, he thought, shaking his head.

That might work if I was extremely distracted and you were extremely quiet, he said, his voice calm. Those two things would probably never happen, however. He strengthened his stance, looking mighty intimidating. Come on, Moon Shadow, he egged her on, his voice a little deeper. I'm the enemy! I'm an intruder in your lands! I'm stealing the hard-earned food you took all day to catch! He growled, getting into his character. Now, stop me! he ordered her.

Moon shadow was dazed from running straight forward and soon skidded to halt almost falling to ground in the process. She saw steady shake his head telling her that would only work if he was distracted or if she was quieter and remembered that for the future. Now steady seemed to become more intimidating trying to make him seem like a more serious target. He shouted things saying he was an enemy who was stealing the food she had worked hard to get.

She let her fury and determination build up even though she wondered what she possibly could do. She knew she would never quit, knowing the disappointment that came with the easy way out. She decided she would try close combat since the whole running thing hadn't worked. She would come at him from the back remembering when steady had gotten a hold of her neck and ended the last fight easily. She would go for his back legs again being a lot more persistent and would put more effort into it. She needed to end the fight soon or she would lose again.

His words seemed to fuel the determination Moon Shadow kept in her expression. He was glad to see she wasn't giving up. If she had, Steady may have been a little tougher on her. If she was going to protect this pack like the rest of them would, she would need to remember just exactly it was that she was fighting for.

She came up behind him, hitting him in the hind legs. Her maneuver worked, sending Steady off balance and to the ground, where he landed with a soft thud. He chuckled, coming to lay upright. Good job, he said. It was smart going after the back legs. There's more weight on my front, and it's harder to knock me over. The back legs tend to be a little more unstable, he explained, making sure she knew the logic behind the move.

The lesson was over, but Steady motioned her to relax, thinking it was time to get to know his protege a little better. Where are you from? he asked directly.

Moon shadow was as happy as could be when she succeeded on taking down Steady. She was also happy to know she had learned how to take down another wolf and was learning how to protect her home. Steady gave her a sign to relax and so she did. He then asked her where she was from and she was a little embarrassed. She hadn't talked to anyone about her past before, though she guessed where she was from didn't really matter. It was just she didn't know where she was from.

"I don't think I've ever really had a place to call home before coming here. My mother was a lone wolf and my father left my mother before I was even born. Ever since I was born I just wandered around place to place until I came here." she said in a sort of hollow voice. She had never realized silver tip mountain was the first place she ever called home.

Moon Shadow confessed that she hadn't really had a home before coming to Silvertip Mountain. He really wasn't quite sure what to say to that, but he tried to look for a silver lining to her story. After a few comments, he noted, Well, it looks likes you did a good job taking care of yourself, considering. Many wolves didn't have what it took to live on their own. Taking down big game was virtually impossible, and small snacks just never seemed to satisfy the hunger.

Do you have any siblings? he asked. She hadn't mentioned any, or traveling with any, so he assumed not, but asked anyways. After all, assuming really just meant you thought you had information you really didn't, and Steady didn't want to be that wolf.

Moon shadow was happy to know she had done well on her own and with her sister and on her own. Steady then asked if she had any siblings and she thought it was a touchy subject but she still felt like she could tell steady about her sister and brothers.

I had two brothers and a sister. Sadly my brothers passed at a young age since my mother was lone wolf traveling with her children in the winter. When my mother passed it was my sister and I by ourselves." she said trying not to sound sad. She felt she need to but on a brave face. She knew her story sounded sad but tried to make it sound a bit happier.

"She dispeared a few months after our travel together. I searched for her for a while and I still think she's out there. She never gave up when it came to surviving on our own and I know she's somewhere out there living life to the fullest. she said with a soft smile. She knew her sister would be fine. She may have been small but that didn't stop her from being one of sweetest wolves moon shadow had ever met.

I'm so sorry the horribly long delay! I'm going to make this my last post so that we can wrap it up, if that's okay?

It seemed that Moon Shadow had quite a difficult upbringing, losing first her brothers, then her Mother, and she didn't know where her sister was. Try as he might, Steady just couldn't imagine how hard it must be for her, though he did empathize. I'm so sorry for your loss, he said. Maybe your sister will show up one day, he said trying to give her a little hope.

Knowing that he had spent enough time away from his duties, Steady sighed. I need to get back to patrolling, he admitted. He went to move away, then paused before closing the distance between them, his intent to give her a friendly nudge on her maw. See ya around, he said, finally turning and heading towards the borders.