Neverwinter Forest now learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck

for @Naoyuki and/or @Luli

Huā had given the warriors of Yuélòng pups to train. The dragon was grateful to be considered a worthy candidate, but that's where his gratitude ended. He couldn't have been assigned to a worse pairing; the annoying hairball's sister and Orochi's little replacement.

He had avoided their training for a few days. He was sure Luli would be just as annoying as her sibling, and he'd probably kick Naoyuki on sight. Even though he really really wanted to, he couldn't put of his job forever. His leader trusted him with them, and he couldn't let her down. He had to prove he was worthy enough to be the general once again.

Orochi stomped through the woods, keeping an eye out for the pups. Where the hell were those two anyways? All the rain made it hard for him to track any scent. 

Eventually, he gave up on hunting them down. Orochi stopped right we're he was and lifted his head to howl for them.

naoyuki learned about howling only days prior, and was visibly excited to receive his first call. it came from someone he didn’t know, but he was just as excited to meet this unidentified caller as he would have been for anyone else.

turns out, he hadn’t been that far from orochi, because he was able to reach him only seconds after the call ended. yuki was proud of himself for being able to track his entire way here alone, as could be seen in an enthusiastic hop. 

he placed his snout against the ground and began searching for where exactly this wolf was, so that he could orient himself properly.

He arrived quickly, way faster than he expected. Orochi nearly jumped when the pup bursted out of the underbrush.

The yearling did not address him immediately. He chose to watch rather than speak. Naoyuki looked nearly identical to his sister, save for the marking that was missing from his crown.

Either this kid was ignoring him, or he just didn't see him. Orochi decided it was probably the latter. Him and Hide studied their surroundings very similarly. Was he blind as well? He'd figure it out sooner or later.

Right here. Orochi tapped the ground with his paw.

orochi stood pretty close, which meant that naoyuki probably could have found him without help — but it was much appreciated nonetheless. he stood straight, tapping his own paw lightly against the ground to mirror orochi’s instruction, then walked to where the sound led.

it quickly became clear that his playmate was someone much larger, like the others had been. yuki could feel orochi’s breath running his spine, rather than blowing directly into his face, so he knew that he ought to look up to hold a conversation. hi, he said, nao - nao, hi.

The boy copied the sound, which annoyed him of course. Him and his sister were very similar weren’t they? Orochi couldn’t stop an exasperated sigh from slipping out. This was gonna be a hellish experience.

Naoyuki greeted him, then introduced himself (or tried at least). Orochi didn’t reply. He just studied his face, his eyes to be more specific. They were muted, not as much as Hide’s, but still noticeable. He’d have to go about his training differently than he usually did. But there’s the problem... he never taught anyone before. He didn’t know what the hell he was doing.

Ok, he said in a drawn out sigh that was meant to buy time. My name’s Orochi. I’m gonna teach you how to fight. Now where to start? May as well have a quick spar to see how bad this kid was, then he’d know what to fix. But how was he supposed to fight someone so small? Whatever. He’d figure it out as they went along.

Orochi crouched into a bow. Alright, do your worst.

wait, what? yuki didn’t even know what fight meant, let alone “do your worst.” poor orochi, their first lesson would probably suck.

naoyuki looked from left to right, then plopped down onto his bottom with a wide yawn. sightless eyes continued scanning while he mewled quietly for assistance.

Instead of leaping forward and attacking like he was supposed to, he he sat down and let out a mighty yawn. Was he blind and deaf? This was gonna be a hell of a day.

What are you doing? he hissed, Common, fight me! He lifted a paw to poke at the boy. Maybe that’ll get him to do something.