Redsand Canyon stop waiting on your fifteen minutes of fame

@Kallik Short-ish starter spar time ^^

She had given her body a few days recovery, though she knew if this were a craft she were seriously considering pursuing, she would need to push through the soreness and the pain that accompanied a spar. Still, Germanicus’ encouragement about her level strategy gave her hope and promise that perhaps this was something she could be effective in after all. She had not realized prior how much her medical knowledge and knowledge of the body would help her in a fight.
 
It was like it all clicked together, and it was refreshing.
 
She had been asked to seek out others and spar with them, and with that came her hunt for the usually somber misty grey man. He had offered to spar with her, and she was intent to take him up on it now. Sporting around the Mereo territory, she hoped to find him near the hollow where she had sparred with Germanicus just a few days prior.

sorry for the wait!

Aquene wouldn't find find him at the hollow, but he was nearby. He was heading back from a patrol and picked up her scent. Something warm stirred within him, but he mislabeled it gratitude before promptly ignoring it. Still, he was curious what she was doing today. Maybe she wanted to take him up on his offer to repay her.

The auxillary trotted over to her when he finally tracked her down, alerting her of his presence with a low chuff before stopping in front of her. He was feeling much better, and he had her to thank for that. Aquene, he greeted. How are you? His tone was much softer than it had been at the beginning of their last meeting. He trusted her now, as much as he was able.

You're totally fine!

She could tell his scent was nearby, and for now a part of her was hesitant enough about sparring that she did not actively seek him out. Instead she took stock of the ground, hints of dried blood from spars before… not that one could tell too much with the read sand that the canyon was comprised of. Her head turned, appearing to not have to work to find him as he appeared, a soft smile forming on her features as he greeted her. After working a bit through his rough and cold exterior, she found she quite enjoyed his company, and would not mind being in it more often. She dipped her head in return. “Admittedly? A little sore.” She was just being truthful.
 
“I sparred with Germanicus a few days ago… I feel like I can still feel it in my muscles at times.” All it took was moving the right or the wrong way. Truthfully most of the soreness had faded, she was simply not used to having pushed herself in the way that she had. “He’d like me to train and spar with others as well… at the very least so I might serve as a field medic, possibly as an auxiliary as well.” She explained with more context. “I was actually hoping to find you… to see if I could take you up on your offer to spar.” She quite frankly needed the practice.

She smiled when she saw him, and he felt a strange flutter in his chest, knowing that expression was in response to his presence. Immediately following was a familiar spike of fear, and he quickly pushed both feelings into the place in his mind where things just disappeared. 

She mentioned that she was sore, and his eyebrows raised some in concern. The healer went on to explain that she had sparred with the imperator; the auxillary gave her nod of understanding. 

Aquene went on to explain that Germanicus wanted her to spar with the soldiers. She might one day be an auxillary who could fight beside them and tend to their woulds in the field. It was a good idea.

When she asked him to spar, he hesitantly nodded. Sure, Kallik answered first. Are you sure you want to do this now? he quickly asked. Since you're sore still from your last spar? It revealed her strength that she was willing to continue her training even though she was in pain, but something in him was very offended at the thought of causing her to hurt more.

He seemed to understand after she explained in further detail. She could see the way his face shifted to concern which had implored her to explain more as to put his mind at ease. She was still uncertain about fighting beside them, but at the very least being able to defend herself so she could treat in the field… it would be invaluable, to both her resume and to the pack she lived and served in now.
 
The question came and she nodded. “I won’t have the luxury of waiting for soreness to go away in the future, so I ought to get used to it now, eh?” She answered back rhetorically. Germanicus said she had a promising start, but she wanted to build on it before she lost her rhythm and her fire. She wanted to learn, and she wanted to continue to grow the way others had faith that she could.
 
“And don’t take it easy on me. I promise I won’t break.” She winked at him jokingly, because she tried to be lighthearted when she could, and going into a spar felt like the perfect time for it truly. She could treat them both for soreness if everything went to plan, though she might have to ask him to place a poultice on her own shoulders as she had his after his punishment if he worked her as hard as the Imperator had.

She explained that in the field, muscle soreness wouldn't exclude her from fighting, and she wasn't wrong. Kallik allowed a small huff of laughter to leave his chest. No you will not, he agreed. She grew more and more intriguing to the auxillary. 

She told him not to go easy on her, which was admittedly exactly what he would have done. But he knew the error of his thinking. She needed to learn, and she wouldn't if he didn't challenge her. Alright, he promised. But you have to promise to tell me if it's too much at any point. They all needed to push themselves further than they thought they could go, but not to the point of damage; she likely knew this already.

It was good to see him laughing. She felt Mereo didn’t laugh nearly enough, and it could be the best form of medicine if others allowed it to be. “That’s what I thought.” She teased back lightheartedly as she started to fall into a position, as if she was ready to start at any given time. Of course, her only experience was with the all work and no play Imperator, so naturally she would be ready for anything at any given moment.
 
She nodded with a wide grin on her features. “Of course… and you tell me if you want me to stop.” She joked, because she knew her fighting skills were not quite up to snuff with that of the soldiers, but she could pretend like they were if only for some passing humor to diffuse any tension that might come from the solider attacking the healer in order for her to improve. “Who first?” The Imperator had laid it out for her, telling her when to attack and when to defend as he was assessing her skills. She’d never truly sparred per say, in the sense of nothing was impulsive or instinctive but laid out in curriculum.

Her reply was teasing, and it had the auxillary lifting his eyebrows a little. His own expression held the hint of play. You bet, he told her. It would take him a while to get to a point where he needed to stop, and even then he probably wouldn't take his own advice. 

She had already taken a defensive position, so Kallik did the same. When she asked who would go first, the soldier dipped hes briefly in her direction. You first; show me what you have learned. His gaze tracked every movement as his mined tuned everything else out. She was the sole recipient of his intense focus as he waited for her to make her move.

It felt invigorating. It was not to say her own work was not… it was just a different kind, a kind that required grace and poise whereas there had been something freeing about the limited fighting experience she did have. She saw the way his eyebrows lifted and she just smiled back. He had never seen this side of her; almost no one had.
 
Kallik offered her the first move and instantly she fell into what she had learned, rushing forward as she moved to slam her body against his, aiming to grip his shoulder with her teeth while tucking her chin to protect her neck as Germanicus had taught her. Better to lose an ear than your life. The Imperator’s words echoed in her head. She knew this spar was not as drastic, but every spar, she felt, should be treated like the real thing otherwise she would not be prepared for when it came time to defend herself.

The auxillary could see the wheels turning in her mind, and as she rushed at him, he could see indications of her training. Throwing her weight into him might have worked if she had the advantage of surprise or if she better matched his size. 

So when she reached him, he lunged to meet her and pushed into the force she had already applied when she threw herself into him. He felt her teeth graze his shoulder, and then he used his weight to bring them to the ground. If things had gone correctly, he would have her pinned, his teeth against her throat.

Germanicus had never used speed to his advantage in their spars, and her lack of experience showed in that moment as he lunged to meet her rather than striking defensively, her teeth scraping his shoulder though he was quickly throwing her to the ground with a thud, feeling like the air had been knocked out of her as his teeth leveled against her throat and she relaxed and went limp with a sheepish smile. Clearly, she had a lot to learn, but that was okay. She had time to learn, and plenty of soldiers around who could help as well.
 
“How did you do that?” She asked, a hint of amazement in her voice that just highlighted her inexperience and wonder with these new skills that she was being exposed to. There were many fight structures to consider, and it made sense that a wolf might use their speed and meet her in the middle rather than waiting for her to come to them to strike back. "How do you strategize like that on the fly? I feel like I have to think about things before I do them but it felt like you just knew what to do?"

The second she yielded, Kallik pulled back from her throat and stepped away so she could stand up. He inspected her closely as she got up, checking to make sure he hadn't been too rough. She had told him not to go easy on her, and he hadn't, but he would still feel bad about hurting her. 

Awe painted her tone as she spoke, asking him how he had done what he did. She also wanted to know how he knew what to do so quickly. He would gladly answer both questions. I used the force of your speed and attack and combined it with my own. Since I didn't change the direction you were going, I was able to boost my own speed and bring us to the ground, he explained. It is one way to use speed to your advantage. It is a useful trick for you if you ever find yourself fighting someone bigger than you. He offered a short pause but continued. And the focus and quick thinking comes with training. You practice so much that it becomes second nature to plan on the fly. It's a necessity when in a real fight; there won't be much time for processing. The imperator does not give us time between attacks to think about what we did wrong; he tells us while demanding we go again. That has helped condition my mind to process and plan at the same time. 

He would let her ask questions before taking position again.

As soon as he pulled back, she was rolling onto her paws and shaking some of the loose red sand out of her pelt. She was fine, though she had no doubt she would be similarly sore as she had after her first spar. Her body would get used to it with time and then it would not matter as much. He had not taken it easy on her, and she appreciated that he had taken her words seriously enough to give her what she asked for.
 
He started to explain and she took notes. He was fast, and he used it to his advantage. It was similar to the way she tried to use her medical knowledge to her advantage. “That is fascinating. I never considered it. Before, Germanius would just tell me attack or defend. He always stayed still like a statue so I’ve never had anyone meet my attack before.” She explained her rationale for him to understand where she had come from. She would have to save note of that for later. She could use that against larger or more well trained opponents which was going to be quite useful the more she tried to learn. He spoke of how there had not been time between attacks and she hummed. Perhaps he had just taken it a little easy on her because it was her first spar? She was not certain.
 
It made sense, that it would become second nature. It was like how herbs and their properties were second nature to her now with time. She did not have any more questions, instead taking position again and waiting, figuring he might take the attack this time so she could show off her own defensive skills.

Maybe that's why he encouraged you to spar with the other auxillia, he pointed out. We all have our strengths a weaknesses. It's important to be prepared for anything. 

Kallik settled into a defensive position and fixed the healer with his calculating gaze. Now, you attack me, and I'll try to defend against it. He was curious to see what she had learned from the imperator. He also wanted to see if he could add to what she already knew. If she was going to be wandering the mountains, looking for plants, she would need to know how to defend herself.

She hummed and nodded at the suggestion of the Imperator’s motive. It made sense, to expose her to such a wide range of strengths and weaknesses. “I think you are right.” She offered. She watched the auxiliary fall into a defensive position, and in that moment she felt an internal shudder in her body, the way his calculating gaze found her.
 
Attack. She hummed softly, knowing his speed was impressive and she would not be able to rely on the tactics she had used against Germanicus. She feinted left, rushing for his left side before shifting at the last moment to aim for his right shoulder with her maw, hoping to sink in a bite. Her eyes betrayed her at the last moment as they shifted their gaze to her true target, not knowing any better.

The auxillary could tell Aquene had learned just from their first round. This time she barely gave him any time to read her before she reached him. 

She went for his left shoulder, and he tensed to move the other way. She was there to meet him, changing her direction at the last minute. Kallik felt her teeth in his shoulder a second later. He pushed into her then, hoping he could knock her back and off balance, placing him on top again.

There was a hint of pride and satisfaction that threw her off her rhythm, not expecting him to push into her once her teeth had found his shoulder. The action seemed counterintuitive to her, as if it would bring him more harm and as a result she did not double down and balance herself against the dirt in time, rolling over with a thud and a light heave as the wind knocked out of her lungs for a moment and she looked up at him with a soft and awkward smile. “Oops?” She offered almost playfully. She was quite serious about it, just in that moment she recognized her mistake.
 
She just hoped she hadn’t injured him too bad. “Why push against me if I already have your shoulder? That would make your injuries worse, perhaps leave permanent damage…” She didn’t fully understand. She had understood Germanicus’ lesson of losing an ear rather than a lift, but it didn’t seem like that was the case this time around, at least in her own logic.

His move seemed to surprise her, which had her buckling under his weight. He had pinned her again. Kallik watched her lips curve into a soft smile as she uttered her playful word. There was no stopping the hint of a smile that played across his own lips. The auxillary shook his head and then backed away to let her up. 

Her question was a good one, and she was not wrong. It could be seen as reckless, he agreed. But it seemed like my best option in the moment. It was unexpected, yeah? He shrugged a little, clearly not hurt. I was hoping it would throw you off.

He would let Aquene add what she wanted before getting back into position. I'm going to attack you this time, he told her. Then he burst forward, muscular legs carrying him quickly across the space between them. When he reached her, he pretended to go for her throat but aimed lower at the last second, hoping to grab a leg and put her off balance.

Regardless of the reckless nature of his movements, he had thrown her off guard. She didn’t miss the smile she managed to bring to his features. She liked to try and diffuse the tension. It was a spar, and it was a serious matter, but it was still a spar amongst friends. She rolled her way onto her paws, shaking her fur to let some of the find red powder fall from it as he started to answer her question. It was reckless, but the best option? Should she be considering such risks?
 
She then considered how she might have gotten out of the hold that she had left, and either way she supposed getting away meant more damage… pulling away would tear the muscle, even if not as deep as pushing teeth in further by slamming forward… either way, there was a risk involved. It was just a question of what she was willing to take. She hummed in interest. “Quite unexpected… hurt my jaw a little too.” She stated almost teasingly back at him after taking a Kallik-level force load directly into her mouth.
 
She set herself into position this time, lowering her body slightly by spreading her limbs to lower her center of gravity, watching as he burst forward, seeing the way that he went through her throat, causing her to pull to the left , looking to avoid as she tried to swing the back half of her body to the side to meet him and try to throw him off his rhythm. She hadn’t anticipated the change in direction, though she should have expected him to make a similar tactic to her with her feint, feeling teeth on her leg. She considered and acted almost simultaneously, trying to throw her weight against him to roll on top of him as he had done with her… just… less gracefully. She was not a seasoned fighter and that much was clear to her.

At first, it seemed like he was successful again. She had braced for an attack head on and he had surprised her again. But she was a fast learner. She was thinking on her feet now. 

Just as his teeth found her leg, her body pushed into his. He was thrown off balance with his head so low. Kallik stumbled and fell back, Aquene landing on top to pin him. This time a grin spread across his face—the first one in what felt like forever. You are a fast learner, he praised. He was impressed. Kallik thought she would make a good auxillary. I knew there was a soldier in there somewhere, he added with a playful raise of his eyebrow. 

More seriously, he asked: Is your jaw okay? He hadn't been easy on her just as she had asked, but that didn't mean he didn't feel bad knowing he had hurt her.

Aquene had not been expecting it to work. She had fully expected to end up underneath him pinned again but by some stroke of luck she had managed to throw him off his guard and off his balance, finding herself on top for once with a wide grin on her features. She quickly stepped back to let him up, her tail wagging with an almost childish excitement as a little hop was introduced to her step. “I did it!” She was proud of herself, and in that moment she believed that she could do this. Before it had just been about learning so she might put up a fighting chance.
 
But maybe there was  a chance that she could win.
 
She felt the heat rise to her cheeks with a softer smile at the mention of a soldier hiding deep in her bones. She supposed that was the one gift her father had given her though not through his own knowledge. She nodded when he asked about her jaw. “It’s fine, it’ll just be a little sore.” Nothing that some scrub pine wouldn’t help alleviate later or perhaps she would just leave it as a method to try and toughen her skin a bit more. “I… don’t know if I’m meant to be a solider. I keep thinking about it, and the Imperator did offer… but I’ve spent my entire life helping heal and mend, I don’t know if I can easily step into the role of trying to break.” Self-defense was one thing, but fighting and being the first to attack in order to defend borders was quite another in her mind. “It’s something that has been on my mind a lot lately.”

Her jaw would be sore, but that was what happened when you sparred. He would try not think more into it than that. She was not a fragile pup. 

She seemed conflicted about the idea of becoming an auxillary. He could understand the need to stick with what was familiar and what you were good at. That was the safer option, and she was really doing well as their healer. He thought she would be just as good where she was as she would be a soldier. And her perspective was one he wouldn't have thought of himself. She usually dealt with the aftermath of a fight, and she wasn't sure she could cause the wounds she would be working so hard to heal. 

I think you would be equally great at both, he assured her. It was ultimately Aquene's decision, though.

Maybe wrap or fade with yours or after 1 more round?

The roles were complicated in her mind. The Matrona had brought her there to heal, and while clearly someone had told Germanicus she might do well as a soldier, she knew that she was the most capable. With her injuries, keeping the stores stocked would be challenging for Ruenna, and Malila did not have the training yet to handle such a daunting task either, especially not in the dead of winter.
 
And yet, she craved the organized freedom that came with the roles that the auxiliary performed… something she would need to consider. “I think for now, my talents best lie in making sure we have both the supplies and the knowledge to patch the auxiliary up when they are so valiantly defending our borders.” She meant what she said, but there was a hint of a tease in the grandiose manner of her words.
 
She would think about it, but for now, she was a healer and a civilian. She was not certain she could do both, but it was something to ask the Imperator about next time she found him for a spar.

sounds good! feel free to archive or reply again <3

We are lucky to have you, Kallik told her. He meant it. She would make sure none of them suffered from unnecessary complications. 

As much as he'd like to stay here and talk more with the healer, he was due at the borders for a patrol. I should head to the borders, he told her. But we should definitely do this again. 

Kallik shook out his coat and dipped his head towards the healer. Bye, Aquene, he told her before turning to trot off.

She offered him a kind smile in return to his words. She never had learned how to take a compliment, unless it was about getting something right in one of her mother’s pop quizzes… apart from that, the idea of being complimented simply for existing… well, it had never happened before.
 
He mentioned heading to the borders and she grinned at him, nodding. “Have fun with that.” It was one part she did not envy about their job. She was certain she’d go crazy walking the same paths almost constantly.
 
He gave his goodbyes. “Bye, Kallik.” She offered in return, remaining there until he was out of sight before opening her jaw, rolling it around as best as she could and turning to head in the other direction back to the tablinum. She still had work to do as well.

Faded and archived <3