Dragoncrest Cliffs Northern star
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Ooc — Starrlight
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#1
All Welcome 
Kiwi had been in trouble when she got home.  Her reunion with @Wildfire had been emotional, but once her mother was assured of her general  well being, it quickly shifted to a rundown of exactly why she was in deep shit.  And for all of about a day, she took it to heart.

But for a child who was fond of learning, Kiwi was pretty wonderfully bad at heeding lessons in discipline.  Mom was obviously overreacting, she had gone out and been fine and had an adventure.  What was wrong with that?

Wholly unphased by the entire ordeal, Kiwi did know enough not to tempt harsh consequences.  So she stuck to the rendezvous as instructed, boredly kicking a rock around and heaving a dramatic sigh every so often.
Kiwi will internalize lies and twist things to her benefit until this becomes her reality.  Her thoughts are not my own <3
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Ooc — Stevie
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#2
Artaax had remained rather aloof of his new siblings since their birth. Which is not to say he hadn't been present - he was ever the faithful protector, the stalwart guardian - but he didn't really interact all that much except to prod a wandering pup back in the right direction or to lift his lip in a silent snarl when a rambunctious pup stepped a toe out of line. So, when Kiwi had gone missing, the pale lion had pretty much just rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh of exasperation over what a dumb ass the toddler was. No one would ever have known he had worried for the little dragon, nor would they, unless they had taken note of the fact that Artaax had never paid the little girl much mind before, and now he was actually approaching her.

The yearling did nothing to shrink from the domineering pose he always wore as he stepped towards his... god, was this really a sister? She was so small and so temperamental and... Okay yeah, maybe this was a sister. Those were definitely two qualities that embodied the concept of sister in Artaax's head, considering who the only sister he'd ever known thus far was. Small as she was, Artaax saw reason to change his own posture to make her feel more comfortable in his presence. The boy stepped quickly forward as he came near, angling himself to place a large, alabaster paw on top of the rock Kiwi had been kicking, trapping it beneath black pads and claws dulled from near constant movement. He turned his muzzle to peer down at the young wolf then, mismatched orbs (lol) sparkling with something that could've been considered interest, though no words abandoned their safehold behind his eyes.
 
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#3
ahhhhh!!!!

This was so unfair, she wanted to be runnin around with the rest of them.  And she probably could have been; Wildfire had been distracted lately.  Despite her sassy tendencies, though, Kiwi really didn't want her mom upset with her.

She went to give the rock another push, but a paw now covered it, and Kiwi found herself looking at her quiet older brother.  Aside from stoically watching over them, Kiwi didn't see much of him.  But she did appreciate him in the same way as her other older siblings.  'I have to listen because you are older and amazing, but one day I'll be even better.'

Kiwi opened her mouth to argue about  his stealing her toy, but shut it, and instead slapped her paws in the dirt.  "Play with me."  Here was a chance to not be bored, and he was probably pretty good.  She smiled and tried to prepare.
Kiwi will internalize lies and twist things to her benefit until this becomes her reality.  Her thoughts are not my own <3
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Ooc — Stevie
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#4
The girl didn't shrink away from him, which Artaax could respect. He was quite the intimidating figurehead, and she should know by now that their shared blood did not automatically mean she would be given his favor. She would have to earn it just as they all had had to. The pale lion gazed at her as she gave him a smile, slapped a paw on the ground and insisted that he play, doing nothing to hide the blatant judgment written across his way-too-condescending face. But she was a puppy, and would (presumably) ignore that face.

He quirked a brow in response to her request. She had not asked him to play, but had demanded it, regardless of how inviting her voice may have been as she'd spoken. Artaax pressed his paw down harder, smashing the rock into the ground before her. "We do not play," he said, responding in his soft low voice, "We train."
 
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#5
Kiwi was not yet accustomed to being told no, and had grown into the habit of demanding rather than asking in most instances.  There was a small hesitation when Artaax disagreed with her... and her little nose scrunched a bit.  But playing and training were the same, yeah?  So essentially he'd said yes, and that was more than good enough for her.

'Train, then." she said, taking a little hop back and readying herself with a small grin.  She'd done a lot of training in hunting, but not much when it came to fighting.  Wrestling with siblings was different.  Kiwi was motivated, though, and knew if she wanted to be the best someday she had to learn all of these things.  There was the hope of fun, but also a fierce desire to know more, and a little to gain his approval, much as outwardly she'd deny she needed it.
Kiwi will internalize lies and twist things to her benefit until this becomes her reality.  Her thoughts are not my own <3
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Ooc — Stevie
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#6
Kiwi took his quiet correction mostly in stride. He saw the wrinkle of her nose that suggested he may need to muzzle her to put her back in her place, but it faded into a grin as she accepted his proposal and hopped back into a play bow. This pleased him. His own features lightened into as close to a smile as he ever got as he too shifted into an inviting crouch. His eyes narrowed as he dipped towards the ground and he studied her. Her posture was weak, and she radiated too much excitement for his taste. So, he stopped immediately, and stepped forward to correct her.

"You give away too much," he told her, "Show your enemy nothing of your feelings - not your rage, your joy, nothing. A good fighter sees his enemy's rage and takes advantage of the recklessness it foreshadows. He sees excitement and takes advantage of your overconfidence. Give an enemy nothing and he cannot be prepared to use anything. Put them off balance. Make them guess."

It didn't occur to him that his younger sister was barely more than a kindergartener in human terms and so some of his word choices ran the risk of going straight over her head. Nor had he learned how stupid it was to expect so much of one so young. He always had and always would demand excellence of his packmates, no matter how young. He himself, after all, had been born the fine piece of wolfish perfection he was today. It had just taken him a little time to get taller, that's all. And he would require no less from the other sons and daughters of heda.
 
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#7
As always, there were times when Kiwi would do nothing but mouth off, and there were times when she was almost eerily attentive.  Lessons from respected adults almost always fell in the latter category.  She listened to what he said, and took as much of it as she could to heart; it wasn't a lot, but it was at least a try.  She didn't feel angry, and she wasn't sure how to not seem excited.  She frowned for a moment, in concentration.  She didn't really get what he wanted, and felt a child's quick moment of irritation at the way adults have of explaining things wrong.

"How?" she finally asked, still frowning.  His words indicated she was doing something wrong, but not what it was, and she was aware enough of disappointment to know that she didn't want to just keep going without trying something to fix it.
Kiwi will internalize lies and twist things to her benefit until this becomes her reality.  Her thoughts are not my own <3
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Ooc — Stevie
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#8
Kiwi didn't understand. Artaax sucked in a slow breath to temper his annoyance at her stupidity and keep it from being written on his face. Not that she would likely have noticed if he failed to practice what he had just preached to her, but still. He fixed her with his empty expression and proceeded with the lesson.

"Look at me," he commanded her in his soft, deep voice. He stood silently then, just staring blankly at her while his posture remained relaxed and nuetral. After about 90 seconds, he finally concluded the exercise. "Like that," he finished, officially securing the title "Teacher of the Year".
 
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#9
She watched.  Really really watched.  But in the end, he didn't do anything.  What was she supposed to try and do? Nothing?

She felt a familiar frustration well up, one that would end up bringing tears if it wasn't tempered.  Still, hovering on that brink, she tried her best to manage what she figured he wanted - she did nothing, and while she did, tried to keep her face like he did.  Her posture became a little more neutral, but there was a tenseness there she couldn't lose, keyed up as she was by her seeming inability to get what he was trying to display.
Kiwi will internalize lies and twist things to her benefit until this becomes her reality.  Her thoughts are not my own <3
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Ooc — Stevie
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#10
It was idiotic to expect her to understand. I mean, he had barely even tried to show her and had explained nothing. Still, she was blood of heda, as he was. He would always expect more from those who were dragedakru, times ten million billion for his own blood. He would not coddle her. He would not give her quarter. Blood of heda needed no such crutch.

Artaax felt his heart swell with pride so ferocious, even he was mildly startled by it, though none would ever have known it for all he showed on his face. His eyes glinted with pleasure, though otherwise he simply studied her with critical eyes. She clearly understood the unspoken lesson, though she didn’t exactly nail the look by any means. In the end, he sucked in a breath and let it go swiftly before offering his final assessment. ”Better, but needs work,” he said, ”Practice. Study your reflection in the lake and get better.” 

With that, he abandoned that lesson and crouched before her in a defensive stance. A low growl tumbled softly from his chest, not threatening but inviting. His eyes narrowed and a single ear flicked, a nonverbal command for her to bring it on.
 
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#11
Well, he didn't say she was wrong this time.  Slowly the burning in her face abates, bringing with it the threat of running off in tears.  She was tougher than that, she liked to think, but really it had been a neat thing.  Something about Artaax reminded her of Heda, and the thought of disappointing him before she'd gotten the chance to prove she was better sat extremely wrong in her.

So she would do what he wanted, and study, definitely.  What she would study, she still didn't understand, so likely she'd just stare at herself in the lake and secretly wonder if her brother, despite his intimidating presence, was all there in the head.

Now this though, this was what she wanted!  She matched his pose, then let out a small growl and threw herself forward.  Not a whole lot of practice or planning yet; she hadn't sparred often, and in play spars, you only learned to be enthusiastic.
Kiwi will internalize lies and twist things to her benefit until this becomes her reality.  Her thoughts are not my own <3
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Ooc — Stevie
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#12
In the seconds before Kiwi darted forward, Artaax mused that he might just catch her beneath her chest with his muzzle and flip her onto her back with the flick of his head. She wasn't nearly small enough for that anymore, but she had Wildfire's diminuitive stature that gave him room to at least muse over the once effective move. He snapped to attention quickly enough, though. Her attack was direct, leaving him room to feint in either direction. Instead of ghosting out of her reach as he usually would have done, he leaned heavily on his right to make his leap to the left as obvious as possible. He wanted to see if she would catch it and change her trajectory appropriately, but he had little faith that she would, and so he pivoted anyway as he moved and reached to nab her scruff.
 
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#13
Kiwi was intent, focused on where she was intending to bite.  Too focused, it turns out.  Her young jaws snapped at  her older brother just as he stepped sideways, effectively outmanuvering her.  She wheeled to try to recover the move, and then tried to flatten herself, but nope.  He caught her scruff, and she was stuck.  She pulled for a second, then heaved a huge sigh, slumping down.  This whole fighting thing was way harder than hunting, but that only ignited her desire to learn it even more.
Kiwi will internalize lies and twist things to her benefit until this becomes her reality.  Her thoughts are not my own <3
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Ooc — Stevie
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#14
Artaax smirked as he caught his prey with ease. She struggled a bit, but was eventually smart enough to realize she was going no where. Once he felt her defeat thoroughly saturate her small frame, he let her go and stepped around to face her again for another lesson.

"Watch your opponent's movements. Their muscles give away their intentions," he reprimanded in an almost gentle (for him) tone, "See the way they lean, the direction their head tilts in. Anticipate, and be flexible in your own moves. You are too small to smash through your enemies in spite of their subtle movements. You need to bend and flow, like a duck through water."

That was how he had started, when he was small and skinny and pathetic. He had studied ducks and tried to emulate the silent, swift, fluid way they moved. It made him a force even now when he was large and fit like a lion. She ought to study ducks as well. He ought to tell her to. Meh.
 
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#15
She listened raptly as he explained, and this time, everything made perfect sense.  Watch. 

Well, everything minus the sick thing.  Inwardly she snorted at the idea of a duck fighting - all they did was float around, right?  But she didn't let that take away from his other points.

I'm not that small, she replied, lifting her head.  Sides, mom's small and she's a badass.  Kiwi didn't curse often, but she liked the taste of that word.  Badass.  She was going to be one too, and he was gonna help her.
Kiwi will internalize lies and twist things to her benefit until this becomes her reality.  Her thoughts are not my own <3
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Ooc — Stevie
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#16
Artaax gave her another deadpan look as she rebelled against being called small. He reminded himself that children were essential for the future of Drageda before he could get too far along in his frustration and decide that they were a complete waste of time. He had yet to fail at anything in his life (according to him), so he would not give up on this task. He would make a warrior of Kiwi, no matter how ridiculous he thought her name.

"I never said small is bad," he replied softly, "Only that it can be a weakness if you don't learn how to use it properly." He didn't particular agree with her on the whole Wildfire-is-a-badass front. I mean, had she not met nomi? But he did know Blixen, and his sister had well earned the title badass from him, though there was not a chance in hell he would ever tell her that.
 
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#17
Kiwi would agree on the fact that Blixen was a badass, but that would require her complimenting a sibling, even an older one.  And while Kiwi loved them a whole lot, she also wanted to be better, and her pride made it hard to admit that right now, her older siblings were miles ahead of her.

How do you know how to use it? She asked skeptically, looking at her older brother.  He was huge compared to her!  Maybe someone else should be teaching her that particular lesson.  

hoo boy I always forget these lower threads!
Kiwi will internalize lies and twist things to her benefit until this becomes her reality.  Her thoughts are not my own <3
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Ooc — Stevie
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#18
lol yehhh me too. You wanna just fade from here?

Artaax's eyes narrowed at her insolence at questioning him. How did he know how to use it... It was enough that he did. He nearly gave her that reprimand, but thought better of it. There was another lesson in here.

"By watching," he answered simply before taking a defensive posture once more. "Again," he commanded, bracing himself for what he presumed would be another pathetic excuse for an "attack".
 
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#19
sure thing boss!! Imma miss these too cry

Oh, well.  She supposed that made sense, but there was still no way she could just learn it from him.  Blixen had to be better if he just learned from 'watching'.  Her current lesson was proof all the watching in the world couldn't make up for actual practice.

She was determined, and would try again and again for as long as he let her.  By the end she didn't feel very accomplished but she would have definitely learned a thing or two, and that fire still burned.  She needed to know more.
Kiwi will internalize lies and twist things to her benefit until this becomes her reality.  Her thoughts are not my own <3