Whitefish River They Will Remember You

time to whoop a bear into shape @Evergreen

Since her return, Ira has had plenty of time to catch up with the bear she called her friend. Some of it was nice like all the faces he encountered, and other parts were harder. Thistle would always play a part in his life, even after death. That's why when he requested training she gladly accepted. They were leaders now, and both should be ready to protect the ones who followed Kaistleoki.

Ira arrived at the ring they had made together. It really was the perfect spot to train, soft to lighten blows, but tougher gripping preparing anyone for sudden unstable ground. Sitting at the center, she waited at their predetermined location for Evergreen to arrive.

Running late always makes him feel guilty, yet that never makes Evergreen punctual. Forever a downside of the bearish wolf, but he is determined to change that with time, too. Trotting along the river, he slows his approach once he spots the ring and Ira ahead. Round ears perk forward, and a broad grin curves on his lips.

“Sorry I’m late!” He says in lieu of a voiced greeting. Now that he has healed from his eye injury, Ira agreed to give him much needed tips. He is ever grateful, for he’d rather like to learn how to fight properly with being blind in one eye, than come across another situation such as Aurë’s where he is unprepared.

Ira gave a friendly nod and tail wag in response as she turned to meet the bear. I do not mind, but if you are to learn from me you will learn next time you have me wait, your lesson will not be as tame. After all, the warrior had been trained in a military fashion and she would not hesitate to do the same for those who sought her out for improvement.

Rising from her spot with a stretch the warrior tilted her head to the male. We should cross-reference what you know before we start. Tell me anything you can about what to do in a fight. She was already aware that fighting would be much different for Evergreen now that he had half his sight, it was a roadblock he would have to overcome, but one that would not stop him with the right training and effort. Truly the only major difference would be learning to protect his blind side.

Ira appears forgiving, and yet the harshness of her words make the bear’s jaw drop in shock. “Have mercy, please,” he pleads back—all in good nature and humored by the interaction despite the fact he is… positive the roan warrior is not joking.

“Uhm,” he says, entering the arena. With his weight, he sinks into the sand quite a bit. It feels strange against his paws, for Evergreen never truly visited places like the Coast. “Well, I can use my height and weight to my advantage. It really depends on the fight too, like… if they are attacking me, or if I am attacking them.” He rambles, shifting his mismatched green eyes around.

“But uh, usually when I charge in, I try to protect my vulnerable spots? Body slams really seem to catch them off guard, but it has the cons of… hurting me, too.”

Oh, Ira never jokes. Maybe rarely...but this is not one of those times!

The bear stepped into her makeshift arena and immediately sunk a bit in the sand. It was almost comical if it had not been intentional. Ira nodded silently making a list as Evergreen went on. He was right, defending and attacking took different approaches and he was right to watch out for his weak spots. As a big guy others are going to hone in where he is weak since he would be a tough opponent to take down. Now the largest target was painted clearly on him thanks to his eye.

Good. You'll want to keep enemies to your left where you can fully see them. This means turning your body when possible if there is only one opponent, when there are more this becomes more difficult. Or near impossible. Surely Evergreen had already started adapting to his lessened vision. She had heard that losing a sense improved others like hearing. With time and practice, he should be able to use that increased hearing to know if someone is flanking him.

Using your body can result in injuries if done incorrectly, but learn to use it right and there is minimal risk to ramming someone. You can definitely use that to your advantage. Anything else or shall we start from there?

Eve nods along, humming in agreement. It has been difficult to adjust to his partial blindness. Everything he knew had to be relearned again, and still, Evergreen suffers from what happened. Yet he does his best to remain positive. This is something he is passionate about, and never again will another person share the same fate as Thistle underneath his watch.

Uh, well, other than that, I just sorta,,, bite where I can? I know there are vulnerable spots, and the neck is good to go for when its open. Although by doing so puts the attacking wolf in danger of the same. It all comes down to timing, and who can best the other in strategy, even if brawls last sometimes only for a few seconds.

From there, the bear let's Ira take the wheel.

"I just sorta,,, bite where I can?"

There it was. Some people don't realize there is a formula to fighting. Maybe that's not the best word for it, but the wolves that know how to strategize and where weak points are will always win against someone just "biting where they can".

That being said, he's not necessarily wrong, it is important to attack where you can if you can. Mm, yes and no. Yes the neck is vulnerable, it will always be an important part that can turn the tides in battle. Some cases it is much harder to get to, like with you or my father. Both have very thick fur around the neck so someone might focus their efforts elsewhere.

The mountain wolf motioned to the bear's face and ears. There are spots that might not seem obvious especially if the intent is to kill, but can hurt or disable another leading to a much weaker opponent and an easier time taking you down. Walking around him she roughly prodded at his hind leg to emphasize her point. It's possible to live with three legs but those who aren't used to it are like a bird with no wings. You're drowned and vulnerable.

Moving back to Evergreen's front she sat and waited to see if he understood everything and absorbed the knowledge before she moved on.

Oh, yeah... that makes sense, Eve adds in a nod following his words. His chin tucks towards his dark throat in an attempt to stare at the thick mane surrounding his neck.

Although a wince soon follows as Ira continues, gesturing towards his face and round ears. His ears automatically tuck down to hide themselves. And he's full well how dangerous it is for someone to go after his face. His eye enough a reminder that it's impossible to forget.

But it is her moving around him, and nudging his hind leg that shows him how vicious people truly can be in battle. The snowy woman he saved, for example, battle scarred and only three-legged. He wonders whatever happened to her...

Shaking his head to clear himself of distractions, he settles his mismatched green eyes back upon the roan warrior as she returns to sit in front of him. No rambles came this time, only a firm nod.

we can prob just finish this one actually. wrap up and archive once you post?

Ira paused assessing the man before her. She could give him a task as she had done with Rei, but Evergreen had already been in fights. Perhaps what he needed was more experience actually in one. Then she could give him pointers on things he was doing wrong or what he should focus on. We'll start with sparing for you. I know the perfect candidate that will be working towards your weak points, then we can continue from there.

Weak points... he knows he must have them. Those that Ira has already pointed out are good examples, and the fact he is slower than most. His head nods, sweating nervously underneath his coat at the thought of sparring another. So far his battles have been primarily life and death situations.

Aye aye, Captain, he says, trying to remain optimistic and confident. But it makes him think of Thistle, for he used to call her "Captain" all the time... 'This is for you. I'll get stronger.' He promises.