Neverwinter Forest One,

For @Simmik. Ofc others are free to observe.

 

​The forest was thick and not just in evergreens, the early morning brought in a thick mist, fogging the land with an eerie glow. He sang out into the skies, his call bouncing off the trees and sought out the yearling snow. He knew there were two possible fighters within their ranks and he would start off one on one before he decided to pin them against one another for spar training. He slowly circled around the general area in wait, taking in the heavy air.

Simmik often woke long before the sun began to peak through trees of the forest, and today had been no different. She had spent most of the dark morning hours near the borders, her mind heavy with thoughts of her training and what it would be like. She was already large and strong, but she had never learned how to actually use any of that in a fight. Her fight with the stranger had not been really a fight at all; it been more of a struggle and a huge wound to her pride. One thing she gained from that encounter was that she knew she never wanted to feel that weak again.

She wasted no time seeking Aiolos out once she heard his summons break through the quiet morning air. She came to a stop in front of him, dipping her head in greeting, her fiery gaze watching his every move as she waited for him to speak.

She comes, dipping her muzzle in silent greeting which he mimics, their matching fiery amber gaze locking. His head lowers, aligning with his spine, tail flicking out behind him. Snow, he speaks her little nickname he held for her. Splaying long limbs, he readies. Show me what you've got. He awaits the white wraith to decend upon him in the foggy, dusky forest.

She wasn't sure how she felt about his nickname; she had never been given a nickname before. She had no trouble figuring out why he had decided to call her snow, but she decided to hold off judgement on how she felt about it for now.

His request took her by surprise, and it showed in the way she stood there, staring at him. She expected pointers or a lesson on the basics but that had all been the assumptions of someone who had no idea how to do any of this. She was unsure even where to start, but she trusted that he knew what he was doing. So after a few moments of hesitation, she pulled herself from her inside her head and focused on her task. She tried to think about what she would do if this were a real fight and let that guide her. So, she lunged forward, paws out, and attempted to throw her weight into him. She wasn't sure if it would work, but it was all she could think to do.

feel free to PP

She stood, shocked it seemed, like prey at the sudden realization it was being hunted...or a man when his woman tells him she is pregnant, something like that. But Aiolos wanted to see how much or how little the youth knew about fighting before wasting any time telling her things she already knew. After all, before Aiolos was properly taught to fight from his mentor, he had learned quickly on his own how to defend himself grwanted his puppy abuse being born basterd child. 

Aiolos would very quickly learn she knew very little. She had a lot of power, alot of potential, but didnt yet know where to place it. She lunges with a great leap, like a cat on prey. Paws out. Aiolos side steps, his head swinging as he does so and snags one of her outstretched limbs. He doesnt hold hard, for if he did it could mean slicing up her whole leg. No, it's only a light pinch and release to allow her to know the error of her ways. 

If you make the first move, a lung can work. But dont jump with legs out. While you'll still damage your opponent, your legs will buckle on impact. Hurting yourself. He swings himself around to be face-to-face with her. His legs bend, head tucking back into himself protectively, ears pressed against his skull. When you charge, come in low. Keep grounded, balanced. Put your muzzle down so that the hard of your skull and shoulders impact first. The force of your entire body will be in the ram. Thar way, the impact wont be broken up by her legs hitting first, then joined by the rest of her body. It will be one solid punch, to knock an opponents breath for them and likely, cause then to fall if they dont successfully counter. Have you ever seen sheep, goat or deer battle for mating? This is how they do it.

He quickly stepped aside, not only dodging her clearly uncoordinated move but also dealing her a warning nip to her front leg as she sailed by. She had felt the sting of teeth on her flesh before, and this had been nothing compared to that. Still, it made a point and as she landed with a thud and a slide, she whipped back around to face him. 

She listened intently as he pointed out her mistakes and told her why they were wrong and how she could fix them. She nodded as he instructed her to keep her paws on the ground and her head down, explaining that she should direct the brunt of her force to her shoulders and head. He compared it to the way rams fought. She vaguely remembered seeing them back at the lake. It was a fuzzy memory, but it was enough that she knew exactly what he meant. She drew in a deep breath and repeated everything silently to herself—paws planted on the ground, muzzle down, head forward. Then she ran towards him again. Her lunge was slower, though, as she tried to remember everything he said. The position didn't exactly feel natural, and the strangeness of it had her too much in her head. She wasn't sure this would end any better than her first attempt, but she was nothing if not persistent.

He awaited, the young woman seemingly trying to place everything together of what he had said as she gathered herself and went again. He angeled himself to that the side of his body faced her, shoulder to her charge. He collided with a great 'OOF' and found himself scrambling to untangle his footing as he stumbled out to the side. Good, good... He said with a little laugh, tongue lolling out a moment as he went to catch his breath. If you catch your opponent off guard and slam them right in the side, you could do some serious damage. Besides knocking one over, cracked ribs, especially if they ruptured any organ could mean a death sentence. Of course, Aiolos had no means in trying to make her a killer, but if it was her life against another, or if she was able to interfere with someone hurting her packmates... Also, if you dont want to use both your shoulders and skull as a whole, you can charge and side ram, slamming one shoulder into them. This would give you the room to bite at the side of their scruff or face too. He spoke, adding in a few more options.

This time, with his direction, her attack was successful. She barreled into him with a grunt, the collision somewhat unexpected. She managed to recover quickly, though and turned to face him once they had separated. It was exciting to actually do something right; it made her feel as though she could actually be good at this. She brought her focus back to Aiolos, though, and listened as he offered her more instruction, as well as a different way to use the ramming move. 

What if I'm pinned? she asked. What is the best way to get out of that? Memories of the stranger bringing her to the ground flooded her mind. He had been much stronger and far more experienced, and she had felt helpless trapped beneath him. She wanted to prepared in case she ever found herself in a similar position; maybe then she could defend herself properly.

When she questioned, he pondered, ginger muzzle tipping up to the side and eyes narrowed in thought. Well, it depends.... He began, turning his attention back onto Simmik as he settled down onto his hindquarters. Your a larger wolf so you'd have more of a chance against a wolf just the same. If you were small, I'd say struggling against all that weight when your already pinned might do more harm then good. You couldnt win every fight, after all. When it came to small wolves, dodging and wearing down their larger opponents was the best strategy, offering small attacks here and there. A 'death by a thousand cuts' type of deal. When it comes to spars and rank challenge, a pin is often the end of a match and defeat. Obviously if it's a serious matter in a battle, I'd never give up or give in. The best way I think is to try and roll over onto your back. You may end up helping to tear more at your own scruff in the process but if you could get your back legs upwards to kick your opponents stomach, you have a chance of breaking free. In fact when it came to fights, it wasnt just skills and experience, it was a game of chance depending on what moves were made and when.

She listened quietly as he answered her question, nodding here and there to show her understanding. It didn't seem like there was any fool-proof method for getting out of that situation, but he did offer her some places to start. If she was ever in that situation again, then she just needed to remember to use her size to her advantage and to try and get on her back so that she could use her hind legs to injure her opponent. That was kind of what she had done with the stranger, but she had been panicked and unprepared. She hoped that next time, she could maintain some focus and composure and get herself out of the situation on her own. 

Is there anything else we can practice? she asked. Maybe there were some other tricks he could show her or important moves she needed to know. She wanted to start sparring with packmates soon, but she wanted to be as prepared as possible.

She listened and she was eager to learn, dedicated in her practice. All good signs of course. Only time would tell how well she would be able to retain the information which he had given her though Aiolos by no means had any intention of going soft of her. He would test her abilities over the next few weeks, test how well she had remembered. 

Maybe we should take a break for a bit. Get some rest and we will go back at it hmm? He spoke to her, head tilting ever slightly to the side as he shook out his coat and looked out over the misty forestry.

Instead showing her more tips for fighting, he suggested that they rest for a bit. She was disappointed, and she felt like she could keep going, but she trusted his opinion. If Aiolos said they should rest, then she wouldn't argue. 

Okay, she replied. There's some caves up by the mountains; I'll show you. With that, she turned to leave, her mind going back over everything she had learned today.