Charred Ash Draw Draw Back Your Bow

@Zerxes

Leotie had been out hunting most of the morning which of course had given her a little time to think. With spring hopefully returning soon, though Leotie was really starting to have her doubts, she thought it was time she started working on some of her skills. Now that she had a new home and a new pack she needed to improve in some areas and one of those was defending her pack against Intruders. She wasn't an excellent fighter, at least she didn't think so, she needed to improve and quickly.

After the incident with the loner at the border Leotie had become worried they would have another instance like that. What if the next time the stranger didn't turn tail and run so easily? She would need the skills to defend her pack as the beta she was. Leotie knew she would need a teacher to help her and there was one of she had in mind.

Once she'd left her kill in the cache she'd caught his scent and she followed it not sure where exactly it would lead her. She needed his help so it didn't matter where she found him as long as she did. She felt that things had improved between them if only a little after the boar but a small improvement was better than none at all. Finally she had found him, his figure coming into view, “Zerxes,” she called to him, “I was wondering if we could talk?” She added upon her approach.

~Table by Switch

(This post was last modified: Apr 19, 2017, 09:40 PM by Leotie.)

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When the demon wasn't spending his time with young, impressionable @Treyah, Zerxes was hunting for the pack. And by hunting for the pack, it meant he kept the choice pieces for himself and devoured them on site before dragging leftovers to whatever cache was closest before continuing on. With winter still clinging steadily, the options were limited but growing steadily with the promise of spring. Half the damn forest was twitterpated and he only managed to avoid the allure associated with the recent heat season by keeping real close to the almost yearling who was very much not exhibiting signs of heat and looking at her fellow females of the pack as if they'd sprouted a second head or perhaps an ugly, purulent tumor on them somewhere. The entire ordeal had amused Zerxes to no end and he hadn't bothered to point out that she would experience the same some day. That duty belonged to her mother or someone that was certainly not him.

But when @Leotie found him, Z was lounging in the sun and partially drifting off in a midday nap. Green eyes opened and blinked sharply at her for a moment before softening as he thumped his tail in welcome against the ground. "Hey, dollface. What can I do ya for?" he asked with a sleepy drawl, a yawn tacked on to the end of his sentence.

It didn't take her very long to find him as he seemed rather comfortable laying in the sun.  She didn't really like the idea of bothering him but what she had come to ask him was important. To her it meant that she could protect her pack, the wolves she'd come to care about from those that might want to hurt them. It hadn't seemed to go well when she had sparred with Kerb but she had learned a few things especially after they had talked over their snack. She hoped that with Zerxes if he said he would it would go better and she would learn even more.  Something she had learned during her time in the Lore was that learning things from multiple teachers was best to learn different methods which was what had her thinking about Zerxes.

She gave a small smile at the nickname he used for her this time, when she'd first met him those nicknames had bothered her. Now she'd grown used to them and this newest one she had to admit she did kind of like.  Coming up to him and brushed her muzzle along his in greeting before she answered.  She then stepped back and sat back on her haunches, “I was hoping you might be willing to help me with something,” she said meeting his gaze, “You seem to be a man who has quite a bit of life experience so I thought you would be the best one to ask.  Would you be willing to have a spar with me and give me any help that you think I might need?”

~Table by Switch

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True shock broadcasted along the masked male's face as @Leotie brushed her muzzle along Z's, though he schooled the expression away quickly under the guise of a cocky smirk. Treyah was the only one who took any effort to affirm pack bonds by brushing against him. Others had treated him with indifference or as if he harbored the plague and avoided him altogether. Not that he minded. It was easier to not have to pretend to want such bonds at all times.

As the woman made known what she wanted from him, a brow quirked higher with interest. "Well, well, well..." He found it strange that she would seek out him over Kerby boy, but perhaps the stuffy little shit bored even the blue eyed dame. Vibrant green eyes flashed with delight as he stood to brush his shoulder languidly against her. His grin was all teeth. "I thought you'd never ask."

Without warning, Z reached around to nip at her ear before dancing on limber legs out of reach. Every motion spoke of grace that seemed ill fitting of the rough-and-tumble wolf. The male stood with pride, tail wagging high with the challenge as he jerked his head in invitation. "Show me what ya got, dollface," he said, his tone full of flirting and daring.

It seemed that Zerxes was one of those things that grew on her, she hadn't liked him from the beginning but the more interaction she had with him this more she liked him. Trust however was something he still needed to work on but saving her from the boar gave him a very good headstart. Since that she had come to accept him as a member of the pack and so she meant to let him know with a simple gesture. She had then stepped away and settled down before going into why she had sought him out.

Her head tilted slightly to his reaction to her request though she felt it seemed promising.  Leotie had hoped that he would help her, she felt that he seemed to have the experience that would lead her down the right path.  It was really the only comfort she had with his attachment to Treyah that he would protect her. A smile tugged the corner of her lip as he seemed to accept the challenge of helping her, “Well, I felt you were the best one to help me.”

It wasn't expected, the nip he gave to her ear just before he moved agilely away from her. This time she would pay close attention to everything thing he did and use what she and Kerb had talked about. It was more important than ever that she do her best.  The first thing she noticed as he moved away from her was the way he moved, seemingly light on his feet.  Then he issued the challenge and invitation with a jerk of his head, she didn't waste time getting to her feet.  “I'm not very good,” she warned, he would have a lot of work to help her but she would show him exactly what he had to work with. She didn't hesitate as she charged him in hopes of grabbing his scruff.

~Table by Switch

(This post was last modified: Apr 22, 2017, 03:56 PM by Leotie.)

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Time and time again, the instincts of the Charred Ash wolves had proven to be on point. Despite all his efforts, the majority of them remained suspicious to his presence and his intentions, best behavior and all. Leotie had at least given him a chance, slowly warming up to him. He always did enjoy the long game, though Z realized he'd never played one quite so long before. But a cocksure grin graced his face t her off handed compliment of admitting she felt he could best teach her how to fight.

The masked male was well versed in battle, whether it be no holds barred or a massacre. He watched with amusement and not a small amount of appreciation as she moved. Ever since coming, he'd found @Leotie to be the prettiest among them save for young Treyah, and it was hard not to admire her now as she approached. What wasn't attractive was the way she admitted to not being very good at sparring. Not that he would tell her that while maintaining appearances. Z preferred a woman who knew who and what she was and what she wanted. Leotie, pretty as she was, seemed far too wishy washy.

Z nearly yawned as she broadcasted her intentions well before she made her move. That was the problem with honest wolves; even their bodies couldn't lie. As she made to grab his scruff, the Zamora male ducked his head and shot beneath her legs in an attempt to throw her off balance as his posture straightened on his way out from under her. "Did Kerby-boy teach you that, dollface?" he asked, his voice all lilting charm and amusement. Behind her now, Z shook out his coat and smirked at her. "First lesson. You wanna fight?" While everything about his posture had spoken of him remaining stationary to talk, green eyes moving away from her so as to lead her to believe he didn't intend to make a move, the masked wolf moved with sudden speed. Pivoting on one paw, he kicked out a wave of snow and mud towards her face to blind the woman so that she may not see his full tilt charge for her side.

"Fight dirty," he advised, his mouth hovering near her ear as he aimed to tackle her amidst the cover of up-kicked snow.

It had not escaped her that Zerxes wore his life experience well, she had seen it the day she met him. After the boar she realized just how much she could learn from him, as long as he was willing. His experience is what had drawn her to him and brought her to ask for his help in learning the skills she would need in the future. She could have gone to Kerb but part of her wasn't sure she could learn the same things, Leotie wasn't sure her find had ever been in a fight. It was that experience that she needed and sought now.

She wasn't a fighter and had never been in a fight besides that little scuffle after first entering the lore. It hadn't gone well for her and since then she hadn't had any other altercations, nothing to spur her into learning more. Now she was getting that chance and she didn't want to pass it up, she wanted him to know how bad she was so that he might help her fix her technique. Well what little bit if in she had considering that most if had been based off what she had been told. So as their spar started she had to think back to what she had been told and even her past experience.

An eyebrow raised when he yawned but there wasn't much time to question it as she had decided on her move and put it into action. Of course it was only after that she realized she had made a mistake which became more evident as he ducked under her causing a couple of things to happen. First she completely missed his scruff and second he had managed to cause her to lose her balance. She turned her head to look at him as he spoke, “Maybe, I'm not sure where I picked it up,” she threw back at him. This King about it she felt she might have tried it on Kerb to and failed. Leotie refined her balance and turned to face him watching him as he spoke. A nod was given at his question, yes she did want to how else would she learn.

What happened next was very unexpected as the snow and mud came up to hit her in the face causing her to not be able to see. Leotie shook her head to get it out of her face and then she felt the force of his tackle sending her to the ground. The next thing she knew was the feeling of his breath on her ear as he spoke of fighting dirty. She turned her head to look at him, “Teach me how to do that,” she requested of him her tone more serious.

~Table by Switch

(This post was last modified: Apr 23, 2017, 08:15 PM by Leotie.)

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It was pitifully obvious that the woman had never had a real sparring match in her life. Her body language was far too relaxed and at ease, not tuned in to the dangers that even sparring could pose. What the hell had her littermates done when they were younger? Sit around telling stories to each other? The hell kind of use was that nonsense? At least he and Camio and the others had made damn well certain that they were well versed in how to defend themselves. For a wolf as fine as Leotie, he would have thought her father at the very least might have wanted to give a lesson if only to prevent something unsavory from happening. Of course, perhaps Z's thoughts turned in that direction simply because he was the unsavory type fathers warned their daughters about.

Laying on top of her, his smirk was all male smugness. But rather than push his advantage as the real Zerxes might have, he stood and shook out his coat to allow her the opportunity to do the same. "How to do what in particular? Throw mud up in your face? Tackle you when you're caught off guard? Or just how to think on your paws?" A tsk was offered before he shook his head. "I have no doubts you're capable of the first two on your own and the third isn't something that can be taught. But," he hedged, pausing with dramatic enjoyment. "It can be trained."

Zerxes circled around her and plucked up a stick in their mussed up arena to toss it over her head. Whether she became distracted by it or not would only prove his point. "Draw your opponent's attentions from what your goal truly is. You need to learn to lie with your body. Pretend you're going for a leg and then go for the throat when they are protecting their limbs." Alluringly, Z brushed along her side before giving a teasing tug at her ear again.

It was becoming more obvious as she and Zerxes continued their spar how little she actually knew about fighting. Though she supposed that fighting and sparring were very different things she had seen what had happened between Aponi and Spieden. She understood that fighting was ugly and dirty, sparring was friendly, what she was doing now and with Kerb wasn't what a fight was. She wanted to learn to fight and the longer things went on she knew she had come to the right wolf. She just hoped that when he saw had bad she really was at all of this he wouldn't give up on her. She could learn. Leotie knew that,hadn't she learned to live in the lore, and survive on her own. The agouti woman wasn't in the draw because she needed them to survive, she there because and wanted to be because she cared for the wolves that were there.

He had ended up on top of her after his last attack with quite the smirk across his face but he soon let her up shaking out his pelt. After telling his to teach her to fight like he did she rose to her paws and shook her pelt out also releasing some of the tension that had built up in her. She did not take her eyes off him as he spoke listening to every word. She knew he was right about what's could do, it was the last option that he offered she needed the most help with. She could throw mud up or tackle an opponent when they least expected it. The problem was knowing when to use those tactics. Her gaze went to his paws when he said it couldn't be taught but in true Zerxes fashion he waited to give her exactly what she wanted to hear. “Then train me to think on my feet, train me to know what I need to so that if it came to it I would win.” The last thing she wanted was to lose something she had worked hard for.

Her head tilted slightly when he picked up the stick while he circled her and when he threw it over her head. She couldn't help to watch it's path long enough to see it would go over her head. She returned her gaze to him just as he spoke once more, she realized her mistake then in watching the stick. “Is it as easy as it sounds?” She asked him waiting for him to do something because she had let her guard down for that slight moment.

~Table by Switch

(This post was last modified: Apr 26, 2017, 03:33 AM by Leotie.)

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It was painfully clear how green Leotie was with concerns to the art of battle. She wanted to take baby steps where Z wanted to throw her into a pit with rabid animals and see her let loose. Instinct would always win out over training when things were at their worst. In truth, he doubted @Leotie had the raw instinct to fight for her life. She struck him as more of the 'flight' type. It was tempting to call @Treyah over and pit the pair of them together. There was only so much Z could do to train her without injuring her in his excitement, but she and the budding yearling would be fairly well matched and at least equal in skill.

"That'll come with time. It ain't something you're gonna figure out right off the bat. There's no easy magic move I can teach you that is going to win you a fight. But I will say ninety-nine percent of a fight is about attitude." The masked male circled around her, green eyes glittering dangerously though his smile spoke of friendliness in a beguiling manner.

"Surely, you already know that," Zerxes admonished. "You find yourself up against a big, bad wolf, just think to yourself how much bigger and badder you are. The more confident you are in that belief, the more it will translate to your opponent and they will start doubting themselves. Think back to when you've faced others. Did they not intimidate you into losing before a fight ever started?"

It was a common tactic and well overlooked all the time. A fight was as much a mental game as a physical one. Leotie had plenty of progress to make on her mental game. The physical would come with practice. Running, hunting, sparring. It would come. But her first battle was within.

"You'll hear some bullshit about how you need to focus only on your opponent, blah blah. No." The word was stern as he squared himself in front of her. "No. If you're going to fight, you fight as if you're up against a whole pack. You fight with all the ferocity you have because one day, you'll find yourself up against more than one and you need to believe you can take them. And then do it. Otherwise, the first time you see yourself up against more than one, you'll balk. And you'll already have lost. Get me?"