Whitefish River Show Me Your Teeth

backdated to around a month ago oop sorry for the wait @Wynter

The Count couldn't be more pleased to have her daughter take interest in a trade, even more so that she wanted to follow in her footsteps. Primrose, newly declared Wynter, wanted to be strong, a warrior, and she was sure with the training that she would have no issues achieving her goal. Compared to some trades though, mercenaries were far more physical and in some aspects, more training would have to wait until she was old enough to handle the weight of an adult (unless of course, another kid decided to train as a mercenary).

Luckily, there were some aspects that the girl could start with now as she grew. Ira waited at the riverside ring, a sandy shore alongside the river that had come to be a favorite of hers early into Kaistleoki's settlement. It was soft, a nice place to cushion in spars despite the footing disadvantage. It was tougher than fighting on firm ground, but it helped train their mercenaries to be more quick-footed and find even the tiniest of footholds.

Sitting at the center of the circle outlined by river stones, Ira tipped her head back to call for her daughter, sure that she wouldn't have to wait long to start her first lesson. Wynter had been more than enthusiastic to start when she mentioned the potential training.

Haha no worries!

When her mother called her, Wynter was always quick to respond. She wasn't too far away from here either when the howl sounded. The girl arrived only a minute later, happily galloping towards her mother. She came to a bouncy stop and looked around. She knew her mother liked this place. The girl had stopped in the circle before her mother. She looked up at her with big eyes. "Oh yay!" Already figuring out what to do.

She lowered her body in a playbow, as that was the custom when she would want to play with others. She wasn't aware that was not something one would do with an actual fight. She wagged her tail excitedly as she looked with a fierce look on her face at her mother to challenge her.

The mother couldn't help but chuckle as her daughter rushed to her side, quick to pick up the reason for her summoning. However, unlike a proper spar, Wynter dropped down into a playful bow, her mind still adapted to the greetings of a child. There was a lot to introduce to her daughter, and depending on how fast she picked up her knowledge it could take a while before she was in any real spar.

I see you brought your spirit, that's good. I figured we would start with some easy basics. I think a good place to start is your stance. She gestured with her snout to the bow that her daughter was lowered into. Realistically it left her with fewer options for movement, Why did you choose that stance? How will it benefit you and how might it weaken you? She wanted to see what kind of reasoning the girl had before introducing any new concepts. Half of the battle was thinking ahead, knowing how to position yourself and avoid what could be fatal blows.

Wynter nodded eagerly to her mother while being in a play bow towards her mother. Wynter's confidence faltered a bit when her mother asked that. She popped back upright and tipped her head. "Because... Because it is always how we start play," she stated, a bit confused and looked at her mother.

Wynter thought about it. "So you don't do the bow when fighting?," she asked curiously. She had not really seen adults fight she realized.

While she hadn't intended for her comment to come off as direct criticism, it seemed that Wynter picked up quickly on what she was trying to suggest. Ira gave a short nod of her head as she adjusted her own stance to be square and sturdy. In play, that's fine, but your opponent is not out for blood. Take a look at my stance, what do you see? She'd allow a moment or two to pass for her girl to speak up, otherwise, she'd continue without a beat.

I'm sturdy with this footing. I can't be knocked over easily, but I'm also in a position where I can push off in any direction which opens my options for an attack. When you're crouched you're low to the ground, but it will take slightly longer to react unless you're just pivoting. The Count lowered herself into a similar playful stance to demonstrate just how her movement would change as she raised her front paws to slap either side of her body, leaning far to each side like she was dodging out of an attack.

Every second counts in a fight. You'll need to start thinking three steps ahead and see if you can predict your opponent's moves. Do you know what parts are vulnerable on a wolf?

Wynter copied her mother's stance instantly as she started to explain. She made sure she stood square and was not quick to be toppled over. Her orange eyes keenly took in as her mother bowed. It took all her control to not copy the behavior. It was so easy to go in a play bow as well and start to play. This was serious. She knew. The girl tried to absorb it all. "If you do that you become unbalanced," she noticed. As her mother reached for her.

She knew monsters didn't have any mercy and would attack wherever there was a weakness. "Yes! The neck and belly!," she spoke and thought of something. "Eyes? Ears too?," she asked, wanting to give the full and right answer to her mother. She had seen her mother hunt and then they grabbed it by their neck.

Ira smiled a knowing gleam in her eyes as she nodded, Very good, you can think of prey in terms of weak spots, though a wolf will be much harder to fend off or catch. Arguably, the neck is the most vulnerable spot. With the right grip, someone could end your life. Your belly is also soft and easy to bleed out if left vulnerable. A graphic image, but one that would not be forgotten if taught early on. A mercenary's life would not be soft, bloodshed and ruthless enemies were bound to show up time and time again. If Wynter truly wanted to follow in her steps, then it would be better to learn now how easy it can be to lose your life before her own was on the line.

Eyes are valuable to our survival, you do not want to lose one in battle and ears can provide a good distraction if you need to run or grab someone's attention. They are thin, soft, and are very painful if ripped. Now...why don't you try to go for one of my blind spots? Somethings were better to show than to explain, besides, she was sure Wynter would rather jump into action then listen to her talk all day. Depending on where the girl aimed, Ira would adjust herself to redirect the attack to another part of her body, somewhere less painful or dire unless she could be avoided all together.

Wynter sucked in her breath when her mother spoke of her belly being of soft material. She could really imagine this, as the belly were her favorite parts of the deer they caught. She realized that perhaps she was looking the some from the inside. Would she ... taste the same? She shook her head to clear her off that thought. That was a weird thought.

She nodded. "But how can I protect my eyes?," she asked. Wynter braced herself when her mother asked to go for her blind spots. Wynter's eyes scanned over her mother, as this was something they hadn't covered yet. She stepped forward, clearly thinking, as she didn't want to recklessly storm at her mother, she wanted to protect herself as well.

Wynter jumped towards her mother's left shoulder but then quickly sidestepped to her other side, trying to jump at her mother's side of her neck to bite her there.