Sun Mote Copse Enchanted
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#1
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@Fennec 

Wraen had meant to find Fennec soon after she had bid her farewells to Sugar Glider, but something had come up at the borders and by the time she had been free, the girl was nowhere to be found. The Sovereign had taken it as a sign that the adolescent did not wish to have company (or was simply very busy elsewhere) and had gone to sleep that day. 

As it happens in lives of busy adults, who take high positions in work hierarchy, the next time she had free time was only five days later. Though she felt a bit guilty for seeking out Phox's daughter now, she reassured herself that it was better this way, because she had come up with a plan for the girl. The only thing left to do was to find her. 

She tipped her head back and howled.
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#2
Fennec's ears twitched as Wraen's howl cut through the air and she groaned.  How did she find out?  She assumed by now that the 'I'll find you later' had just been a politeness, and that meant the only real reason she could be summoned now was because Wraen found out she'd gone out again.  It hadn't even been that far!

She dragged her paws a bit getting there (it wasn't hard; lots of trees) but eventually she did arrive.  She couldn't very well ignore a direct summons, least of all from the sovereign.

Yeah? she asked as she arrived, and while her tone wasn't rude, it wasn't exactly the politest way to greet the older woman.  She was prepped to be upbraided, and while she was standing casually enough, her tail twitched slightly with nervous anticipation.  What did Wraen want with her?
Fenn is blind, and as she's older, will take all of her character insight from tone.  If you are ever uncomfortable with an assumption she makes, please let me know!
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#3
Wraen had no idea about any bans for Fennec to leave Sun Mote copse, therefore she would not have scolded her, even if she had known about the girl's recent rule-breaking shenanigans. She did notice that, when her loyal subject arrived, that she was not in her best mood, but Elfie, Bronco and handful of other teenagers around here had taught her that they could have moody days and adults were not to blame. 

"Why the long face?" Wraen asked instead of a greeting. "Let's hurry," she said. "We are going on a scouting trip," she threw the bait and waited for Fennec's reply.
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#4
Fennec was so ready to be yelled at that she was floored by Wraen's proclamation.  What..... where?  Her ears pricked up and she immediately began to trail after, interested despite her earlier down mood.

Not only wasn't she in trouble, but she was going to get to go exploring with Wraen.  Bonus!
Fenn is blind, and as she's older, will take all of her character insight from tone.  If you are ever uncomfortable with an assumption she makes, please let me know!
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"You'll see," Wraen replied with a sly smile and was glad that Fennec could not see it. She could easily imagine, how father of Hansel and Gretel felt, when he took his children to leave in the woods. The question was, would the blind girl find the gingerbread house in the end or get desperately lost. 

"Have you been giving Bronco the beating you promised me?" she asked casually to keep the girl's mind distracted. "His snout's still so high up in the air that only a squirrel could reach him," she added.
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#6
She had nice internal laugh when Wraen said 'you'll see', as she always did whenever anyone used that expression.  She thought it was a pretty funny one, considering.  She had no qualms following Wraen, though she did make sure as usual to pay attention as they went.  She used to follow blindly (literally) but now, any practice was good practice.

I haven't seen him, she said, and this time she did grin as she used it too.  Not since he went with Sugar.  But soon as he gets back, he had better be ready, because I've been practicing.  She'd had a few bouts with @Towhee since Sugar's leaving, in and around her own travels.  The wrestling was a good way to get her mind off of Fig, off of Sugar's departure, and off of her own internal issues.

He'd better watch it, though.  A bird might think it's a target.  She cackled at her own joke.
Fenn is blind, and as she's older, will take all of her character insight from tone.  If you are ever uncomfortable with an assumption she makes, please let me know!
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"Do me that favour, please," Wraen liked Fennec's vigour and she had no doubt that Bronco would get the embarrassment he so desperately needed (but not that he was aware of it) after he returned from jollying with Frosthawks. The girl was paying attention to, where they were going, therefore the Sovereign touched her shoulder lightly, thus directing her, where to go next. It was - in fact - an almost U-turn with a 30 degree angle at the last moment. Ahead of them a muted rush of the river could be heard. 

"How has your training with Towhee been going - what is your progress?" she asked, genuinely curious to hear, how the aspiring co-leader was fulfilling her task of training Firebird-folk in fight and defence.
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Great! Fennec replied with more enthusiasm than normal.  She still didn't win often and she wasn't great at connecting, but she was getting way better at following Towhee's movements and guessing where she'd be next.  Part of that was the fact that she was growing accustomed to her aunt's size and speed; because of this, each fight she entered would offer new and unknown challenges.

I hit her three times last spar! Fennec boasted, allowing herself a little pride in that.  I'm getting better at dodging too.  But that's harder.  She couldn't always easily tell where they'd be and where they were aiming for, so it was hard to get out of the way.  If she kept moving sometimes she got lucky, but concentrating on so much at once left her exhausted and overstimulated.

Do you want to spar sometime? she asked.  She wondered if Wraen was any good at it; maybe not, and that's why she had Towhee teach?
Fenn is blind, and as she's older, will take all of her character insight from tone.  If you are ever uncomfortable with an assumption she makes, please let me know!
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#9
"Congratulations!" Wraen praised Fennec, glad that Towhee did not limit the girl's dreams about independence by telling her that she was no good at sparring. Or that there was no use in it, for she would never be able to be useful in an actual combat. 

"We can do so, though I am more of that coyote-type kind of person," she replied. "I am not good at a direct fight, but I am fast and prefer to land multiple little attacks from ambush," she explained, leaving out the part that she more often went for the trees and never willingly entered a fight, unless it was absolutely necessary. 

"We can try some time - we can try even now," she offered.
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No, that's okay.  She was set on scouting now, and if Wraen wasn't really interested, she could keep learning from others.  Or they could do it later.  She hadn't much wanted to do something like that right this moment anyway.

What all have you fought? she asked.  Wraen talked about coyotes, and dad had mentioned bears.  But what other things lurked out there to be aware of, and what did she need to know to avoid them?
Fenn is blind, and as she's older, will take all of her character insight from tone.  If you are ever uncomfortable with an assumption she makes, please let me know!
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"I have never deliberately sought out a fight myself," Wraen explained. "I am small and a strong wolf could easily overpower me in a direct combat and some could even break my spine with a single bite," this was an exaggeration, but she had seen monster-wolves in the past and it was entirely possible too. 

"But I am fast and I have endurance. The reason we can hunt deer is that we can outlast them long after they have tired themselves out. The same goes for opponents. I could not fight alone, but in a team I work as a force that disturbs the assaulter's focus," she explained. but did not mention the time, when she had fought a cougar with other two and how well that had ended.

"Your greatest asset to a fight could be a very trained hearing and sense of, where the opponent is at any given time and the deceiving look of vulnerability. An attacker that misjudges their opponent is in real danger," she said.
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#12
She listened carefully to what Wraen said, so carefully that she caught herself listing sideways, forgetting to track how close she was. What a cool description, wolves who could crack her spine in a single bite.  The morbidly curious voice in her head wondered what that sounded like.

I guess that makes sense.  She'd never thought about the fact that her blindness and looking weak might be an asset.  She smiled even bigger, as she quite liked the thought of that.  How do you know a wolf is a threat beforehand?  With Dirge and Holly it would have been harder.
Fenn is blind, and as she's older, will take all of her character insight from tone.  If you are ever uncomfortable with an assumption she makes, please let me know!
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"I read their body language," Wraen replied and knew that this was in no way helpful to Fennec, who did not have the faculties necessary to learn this craft. But she thought about other little, miniscule signs that told danger was near. 

"But there is another tell-tale sign that something is off," she added after a pause. "The smell of fear, anger and eager anticipation is the same. If you do not focus on it, it might be hard to catch in the beginning," Wraen said. "Then there is the way the other person moves, is it as easy and free-flowing as we are walking right now or you hear that they have to think about, which step to make and where," she added. 

"If they talk to you - the sound of voice and the choice of words can tell you a lot about the person's intentions," Wraen went on. "There are, of course, such people in the world, who are well-trained to keep check on everything they do, but the majority are simple and straight-forward."
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Fennec opened her mouth to make a smart comment about body language but Wraen continued and, happily, offered some alternatives.  She knew manner of approach was one; scent was a new one though.  Voices could lie, albeit she was a little harder to fool than some.  Scent sounded a lot more reliable.

Spars don't really have that, she stated thoughtfully.  There was no real fear in a mock fight, especially not one with her.  Just another thing she might have to find in practice.

Cept maybe Fig when I manage to spook him, she added a little conspiratorially.  It'd been a while since she pulled a good one over on her brother.  Oh, right, because she'd left and then he'd disappeared and now things were kinda weird still.
Fenn is blind, and as she's older, will take all of her character insight from tone.  If you are ever uncomfortable with an assumption she makes, please let me know!
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"The best thing, of course, if you find out yourself, what works best," Wraen drew the conversation about mercenary trade to a conclusion, then fell silent as she both guided Fennec and navigated through a tricky terrain, making some extra turns in the process. On purpose. 

At this point they were quite far away from Sun Mote copse, Wraen sat down and told her pupil: "Now, Fennec, you have got a task - you to take me home on you own."

We can fade here, if you wish.
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Fennec felt a flash of panic when Wraen revealed her master plan - she hadn't really been paying attention.  But after a good long sit, and a while of recollection, she set out on her best guess home.

It might have taken a few minor corrections from Wraen, but for the most part, Fennec navigated best she could as she led them both back.
Fenn is blind, and as she's older, will take all of her character insight from tone.  If you are ever uncomfortable with an assumption she makes, please let me know!