Haunted Wood morning glory

all welcome! looking for a spar.
attn: @Vanity

the gargoyle walked with a pronounced limp involving both hind and forelimbs. his vision was cloudy, unresolved; his injured eye remained in the socket, lined in either direction by half-healed wounds, running the full extent of his face. famine couldn't have known how mangled he looked, couldn't have known how extensive the damage was.

after discovering that running was yet too difficult, famine walked half-heartedly to the edge of a nearby creek. the water ran quickly, almost fast enough to carry him away, and the fish that lived within taunted his growling belly. how long had it been since his last real meal? gordito growled and lunged for the closest silver.

She wandered towards the creek, which wasn't too far from the den.
She'd told @Arwen and @Leshen to stay by the den whilst she scouted the route, making sure there were no lurking coyotes or anything.

A small child sat by the creek. Older than her brood, perhaps the same as Serem's. 
She advanced as it launched after something wriggling in the water. She smiled, tail waving softly.
But as the pup came up, it's grisly face was visible to her.
"What happened to you, eh?" 
Where was its mother? Who was its mother?

Vanity didn't know shit about the other pups in these woods yet, but she knew Serem had two, and knew there was a pup or two missing. This was her pack, but if a Mother couldn't look after her children...or if they didn't have one then they wouldn't have a Father either. 

ouch! double vision held his abilities, forcing him to pull back from the water with a sore nose and without his next meal. famine might have thrown a tantrum, had the voice of an adult not been heard. he turned to look at the masked woman, studying her face for a moment before answering. el puto pez.., famine began. 

he drew in a deep breath before continuing: i can't catch the fish. what was wrong with him? he'd watched enough adults do this to know how, but for some reason, it wasn't working. then, famine realized that the woman was asking about his injuries and what had caused them. well: creo que, it was some cat.

He swore, which Vanity was not against in any sense because he'd learn all the words one day. Seemingly in Spanish and Common.
Some cat, eh. She'd heard there was a lynx attack, but not that some child was attacked.
"Pobrecito," she mused.
However the matter was not hers to deal with - at least not yet - and this kid wasn't sick.

"The fish can see you on the bank," she advised him, "Stand in the water, Estate quieto​."

She moved into the water, downstream from him to ensure he wasn't swept away.
"I'm not a fisher, but I might get one," she'd feed this kid. He was pack, and too young.
"¿Dónde está tu madre?"

famine walked into the water, minding the woman's advice. gone. hungry jaws snapped at the water's surface, again missing the catch. mis padres; mis hermanos, another attempt, equally unsuccessful, all gone.

famine was growing uninterested in the cruel repetition of this game. the fish were mocking him, swimming downstream without any acknowledgement of his existence. serem takes care of me. she was his caretaker by definition, though she was only as active in his life as eirwyn had once been.

Gone.
The word that resounded through the moment's silence. He was alone, and it seemed like Serem had taken him in, but he doesn't look too enthusiastic about his adoption.

A silver fish flicked through her vision and she dove down onto it, jaws clamping around it.
However with a mighty flick of it's tail, it released itself with a trail of red staining the water.
This wasn't working.

"Come, I'll get you something easier."
She headed in the direction of a cache.
"You can stay with me if you want. I have two of my own." That way she wouldn't feel so anxious about leaving them. And they could train together.
"I'll train you the best I can, I can fight and hunt, and know a little about other crap," she could try her best with the kid. She led him through the forest.
"Today, I can spar with you, another day, I can hunt with you."She preferred deer, but small stuff would be ok to teach him for now.
"Tu elección,"

famine followed closely behind the woman's footsteps, listening carefully to each of her words. changing families again couldn't be too difficult, right? the pair reached the cache and he immediately began searching through the cuts, still thinking over the offer.

he eventually pulled away with a half-rotten bird. okay, famine agreed, placing the bird down for his first bite. i'm good at fighting, but not hunting, he admitted. the gargoyle was hilariously bad, probably moreso now.

my name is famine, he told her. assuming the woman introduced herself in turn, he continued: fighting after food makes me sick, but maybe not this time.

He agreed, which shouldn't've surprised Vanity but did nonetheless.
He wasn't stupid, but perhaps ahead of himself.
"If you were a good fighter, your face wouldn't be fucked," she chatsised, "we can improve both."

If her words pissed him off, he wouldn't do well being her Ward.
She'd treat her young exactly the same. She loved them with all her heart though, and would probably care if she hurt them. She she also wanted to harden them, make them a forbidable pair.
She would be glad when they could fend for themselves, but hoped they wouldn't leave her.

"Vanity," she replied after he gave his name.
"You'll grow out of that feeling, and if you don't then I guess you'll have to chuck up on an adversory." She smirked at the thought of this kid havin ghis food snatched and him just throwing up on the others head. She would unashamedly laugh at that.

yeah, well — famine thought for a long moment, searching the corners of his mind for a good comeback — whatever. would that suffice? 

considering their agreement, he dropped the carcass he'd been working at and backed away, anticipating her attack. 

short post :(

She snorted, a soft chuckle escaping too.
It seems like she was right again.
She wouldn't taunt him any further, the kid seemed pissy anyway and didn't need a random bitch having a go.

He seemed sufficiently filled and backed up, her head tilting, then dipping her chin.
His tail lashed high, casing for a spar.
Despite his protests of feeling sick after just eating, it seemed like his decision.
"When fighting, chin tucked, ears flat," she gave him a second to adjust his position appropriately before lunging at him, snapping towards his ears.

If his ears were still pricked up, she'd take hold of one.

me, a week late:

chin tucked, ears flat.

the first part sounded simple enough. famine ducked down, pressing his chin tightly against the subtle curve of his chest. he realized that this was uncomfortable, and so took a moment to readjust (with ears still perked.. of course), not realizing that that short lapse in time was all vanity needed to pounce.

she came forward and bit down onto his ear, eliciting a small, genuinely surprised whine. ouch! famine scolded, though he couldn't quite find his footing again to escape her grasp. instead, he used his forepaws to swing madly in her direction, hoping that a claw might grab onto something worthwhile.

It's fine!

She released him after his short exclamation of pain - or shock.
His paws swung for her and she almost laughed, but no.
She backed up a few steps after his nails raked across her chest, just scratching her skin.

"You're not the lynx that fucked you up, you don't have claws,"
she moved around him, tucking her chin in demonstration. Not touching her chest, but it came below her neck and if attacked, her teeth would meet teeth.
"You can use your nails when you're on your back, kick up at their belly, aim for the eyes with your forepaws."
She waited for him to adjust his position to face her and follow her former instruction.

"Again, except attack with your teeth."
A second for him to process her instructions, and she pounced again.

apparently, becoming a mercenary required more training than famine had anticipated. he'd considered himself a good fighter before this encounter, but with all of the new information vanity was bringing.. could he really have been that good without even knowing the basics?

well, whatever. he was learning now, and that's what mattered. like this? famine asked. again, his chin was pressed against his chest, but without the awkward positioning of before. assuming vanity would correct anything wrong, he braced himself for second impact.

this time, when his opponent attacked, famine opened his mouth and aimed the bite for whatever piece of flesh might be within reach.

His question was good progress.
Quick thinking and quick learning.
"Yes," she replied, "I've never seen a position better!" she grinned. Complimenting children helped them learn quicker and they didn't get discouraged as easily.

As she moved in to attack, his jaws flung up at her like a venus flytrap, catching her lip.
Sharp teeth dug into it, but it was ok. Though the pain was sharp and unexpected, she resisted the urge to yank her head up.
After a moment, she pushed him off if he hadn't let go, and her praises came again.

"Very good, you've learnt a lot in a short time and you will be a good fighter, training is everything." She grinned, tail waving softly. She was already proud of this little chew-toy pup.

wrap with your post?

famine released, stepping down from hindlegs to reposition himself. his tail wagged excitedly behind him in response to vanity's praise, her words alighting some proud fire within his heart. but.. we're done, then?

that's what was implied, anyway. and it wasn't like famine really minded; he was already hungry again, seeing as he'd only been able to eat a portion of his meal from the caches.

She nodded.
"Yeah, you haven't finished eating."
She brought him here to eat really like damn, she wasn't expecting much training.

Alas, this was where they were. She'd trained him all she could today, because she needed to get back to her children waiting patiently for her.
"Plus, Arwen and Leshen are waiting," she smiled softly, and left him to eat in peace.

"Keep practicing," she called back.