Warrior in Training [Airila Warrior]

[Ladonna]

On the treeline of the Xayar forest and the border of the mountain range, the female wandered in search of the other warriors. It was so hard to tell exactly where they might be. The blanket of snow did her no favor, but at least she could count female smells out of the mix because Arche had told her that she’d be the only female warrior. Ladonna thought realistically about the situation, about how she’d need to prove herself as a warrior within Airila before she could fully identify as one throughout the pack. Moreorless, she could very well be considered a “warrior in training”… Or something along those lines.
The thought of being a warrior was humbling indeed, but being the only current female warrior was unsettling as well. There was a lot of pressure upon her to learn efficiently and learn fast. Ladonna felt like a lot more was expected out of her than usual initiates. She thought of her fighting capabilities. She was physically strong, no doubt about that, and she was fast. But she lacked in endurance and wasn’t at all familiar with real battle. All of that time spent brawling her brute of a brother taught her a thing or two about where to attack and when to bail on a move. She knew how to suffocate another wolf as well as which places on a wolf bled out the most. Ladonna knew basic attacks, but she hadn’t a clue about fighting side by side with another wolf or how to conserve energy throughout a fight. As she continued to clarify her abilities in her head, she began to agree more and more with what Arche had said. She needed training bad.
Besides Hannibal and Arche, Ladonna had never met another wolf from Airila. She’d seen them from afar in her travels, but she always tried to avoid them. Raising her nose to let out a long, steady howl, she hoped to invite one of the warriors. She secretly hoped that it would be Hannibal who emerged from the forest behind her, but she would be grateful for the presence of whoever chose to show up. Hannibal was her first real friend, him and Graham. Since that day in the Shydar, Ladonna was unable to forget their encounter. Even Hannibal’s voice made her feel calmer and more sure of herself. Anything that brought stability and sensibility to her life she prefered to keep around. The most prominent memory she kept with her from that day was when Graham showed her this unique sign of affection - like a meaningful goodbye of some sort. She smiled to herself thinking about it.
Ladonna hoped that the wolf who showed up would be more on the friendly side… Last thing she needed was a grouchy teacher. With additional luck, he wouldn’t judge her too harshly for her gender and position within the pack. Whomever it was who’d come forth from the forest, Ladonna was ready to meet and ready to learn.

Word Count: 514
Tag(s): Hannibal , Jadir , or Rikez
Muse:
Notes: I guess this is pretty much first come, first serve ^^ I won’t continue to tag those non participating.

[Hannibal]

Hannibal and Graham found themselves back near the area where they had first stumbled upon Airila's borders, the scent markers pungent and the smell of a familiar wolf floating by. Hannibal had led Ladonna in the right direction and left her at the border, not far from here in fact, and she had hoped that Arche would accept her as a pack member. That, it would appear, had happened, for her scent was stronger the closer her moved back toward the center of the territory, meaning that she had been there. A short distance from where he was, a pitched howl rose, causing his ears to swivel and his head to follow suit. A small smile came to his lips, and he glanced down at his companion. "Come, Graham. We have somewhere to be," Hanni said cheerfully, heading in the direction the sound had come from.

Since they had been wandering without much purpose that day, the wolf figured it wouldn't hurt to take a detour on the way to nowhere. His legs carried him easily, smoothly into view of Ladonna, the wolf he had suspected he would find. "Glad to see you've been accepted here," Hanni said cheerfully, his tail wagging slightly behind him. Though they had not spoken much, the two had bonded somewhat when they first met, and he was happy to see her. "How have you been faring here with Airila? Has Arche given you a job, or a task?"

Next to his shoulder, Graham was dancing lightly on his feet, excited that they had encountered someone that he had already known. The small dog was easy to scare but also easy to please, and when Hannibal was done speaking, he bounded forward to Ladonna and shot his tongue out, licking the bottom of her muzzle and standing with his tongue then lolling out of his mouth while he smiled. Hannibal laugh, and poked his companion gently in the rump with a paw. "Graham, settle down."

Words || 402
Tags || Ladonna
Notes || Here you are Liz. x) Sorry it's the worst thing ever

[Ladonna]

For a moment, when there was no response or arrival of anyone at all, Ladonna’s spirits began to drain. She tried to keep herself believing that it would just be a matter of time. With some patience, she’d soon see a familiar face emerge from the forest. Her tail wagged vigorously and she grinned ear to ear to see Hannibal and his little african wild dog friend. Seeing him made her the happiest she had ever been in a very long time. Seeing that he too seemed very happy to see her as well only made her more grateful for the moment. She knew that their first encounter was short lived, but in that small amount time, she definitely felt that a friendship was made. Even if Hannibal couldn’t consider it legitimate friendship, Ladonna undoubtedly had some kind of positive attachment to the duo.

“Glad to have been accepted,” she said with a chuckle in her throat. “I’ve been doing rather well. Arche has assigned me as a warrior, surprisingly.” She laughed. “He said I should seek out training, so I thought I should receive some said training from a professional. I’m glad that it was you who arrived.” The female was genuinely delighted as she spoke. When Graham lunged to greet Ladonna in his own little way, she giggled and allowed him to lick her muzzle. “So nice to see you as well, Graham!” She then looked up to Hannibal again. “I hope you don’t mind that I ask for some training from you. I mean, I know how to fight but… Not really. If that makes any sense.” She snickered nervously.

Though training was certainly her most main priority, Ladonna also saw right now as one more opportunity to be around one of the nicest wolves she had ever met. Graham put a big a smile on her face too, with his eternally joyful expression and lolling tongue. Today would be a good day, she felt. Hopefully she could actually gain something out of her training as well, that is, if Hannibal was willing to offer her some help at all.

Word Count: 359
Tag(s): Hannibal
Muse:
Notes: Oh shoosh X3 This is adorable. I love roleplaying these two!

[Hannibal]

Hannibal sat down gingerly before Ladonna, encouraged by the intensity of her smile. She was very optimistic and warm, easy to get along with even for a slightly awkward wolf like himself. It was clear why Arche had not turned her away, for the female had certainly greeted the alpha with respect and courtesy, as she had the pair that now sat in front of her--except Graham was too eager to sit down, as evidenced by his panting and wagging. The dog responded with a yip to Ladonna's words, and danced in a small circle as though in response.

"I wouldn't call myself a professional, by any means," Hannibal began with a bit of a laugh, his smile widening. "But I do have plenty of experience fighting and training. I would be happy to give you a hand and help you train, if that is what you're looking for." Hanni had sparred with Calantha not long ago, and had been training by himself every night before he and Graham went to bed; if he did not keep his skills and abilities up, he would be no good to Airila, or to himself. One could not protect anything if one was unwilling to train.

Since he had just sat down, the male was content to begin the 'training' with simply a bit of talking; keeping the mind sharp was as important as keeping the body in shape, and if Ladonna truly wanted to be taught to be a warrior, she would need both skills. "There are many things I could teach you, Ladonna, but first I need to know what it is you are already capable of," he said, jumping right into the task at hand. "I don't know what you mean when you say you know something, but don't. Please, explain." His voice and face were kind, as always, as he spoke, curious to hear what she would say.

There were things that many wolves knew about fighting and defense--which parts of the body needed to be protected always, which ones were least important, how to snap jaws shut precisely--but there were many more things that were not taught by the average family. In a time of peace, many wolves would neglect to properly teach their young ones, ruining their chances of defending the pack when the peace inevitably broke. It was so, so important for a pack to have independent warriors who could work by themselves but also come together as a team. In teaching Ladonna, he would ensure that the two of them could fight in tandem, raising their odds of success.

Words || 450
Tags || Ladonna
Notes || n/a

[Jadir]

Today, Jadir found himself heading to the heart of Airila’s territory which was the border of the Tia’Deli Mountains. Since he had been confined to this area as a pup, he rarely came around here and instead branched out to the other areas of the Shyia, but today he made an exception for he was going to use the day to do a border patrol of Airila’s borders. From what he had heard, Airila had been growing in size but that still didn’t necessarily protect them from whatever dangers lie outside of its borders and as a warrior, the ebony brute felt that it was his duty to ensure that the borders were clear.


The Warrior had come from the north side of the territory so he was currently working his way through the Xayar Forest. This forest was quite large so Jadir did his best to get through it quickly so that he could reach the base of the mountains so that he could perform his border check as soon as possible. The day was still young so in a sense, he really didn’t need to rush but at the same time he felt pressed for time. He hadn’t seen Anima in days it seemed like and he needed to go seek her out, but pack duties and making new friends have kept him from doing so.


It was now breeding season and the two of them had been talking for weeks now about starting a family of their own and now that Anima was in heat, the time to do so was now. But the thought of starting a new family made him want to ensure that all was safe in the Shyia so that no one could harm him or Anima. Jadir saw then pain that his father went through when Aludra disappeared and the warrior never wanted to have to go through such tragedy so he would do everything that he could to ensure that such an event wouldn’t happen.


Upon closing in on the base of the Tia’Deli Mountains, a howl rang through the air that sounded foreign to him. After sniffing the air, Jadir realized that the wolf was a member of Airila and it sounded like she was calling out for anyone that was nearby. The howl didn’t have any real emotion to it, but one could never be too sure. So Jadir picked up his pace even more and headed to location where the howl came from.


Moments later, three figures came into Jadir’s field of view. Two of them were familiar to him and one wasn’t, which had to be who the howl belonged to. The two familiar figures were Hannibal and his canine companion Graham who he had only met a couple days ago. The stranger was a she wolf who as asking Hannibal for some assistance in training to become a warrior. It sounded like his brother had given her the rank of a warrior, which was intriguing since the pack didn’t have any female warriors, but Arche must have seen potential in her to give her such a rank.


With a friendly smile on his maw, Jadir approached the trio, making sure that the way he carried himself was lax. Upon approaching them, Jadir gave a friendly nod to Hannibal and Graham and then gave a polite bow to the she wolf. “Nice to see you again Hannibal and Graham,” he said as he greeted the two. Jadir then turned his attention to the female and addressed her, “I overheard that you were seeking some assistance in training to be a warrior and I am more than happy to help. I am Jadir, one of Airila’s warriors and Toiro’s son. Now what might your name be,” he asked her.


Hannibal and Ladonna

[Ladonna]

Ladonna observed Graham’s delightful behavior with a big smile on her face. Something about his primitive way of communication made her particularly happy. He was like a child, but also not. She listened to Hannibal carefully as he spoke to her. She nodded respectfully in response to his offer to help her train. She had no idea what could be in store for her. She didn’t know how wolves trained in packs or how long it went on or anything. Ladonna could only do her best in whatever was ahead. Being next to this canine duo would help her tremendously. Graham had a particular knack for raising her spirits and Hannibal simply made her feel more comfortable. For Ladonna, familiar faces were always nice to have around.

Hannibal brought up her current skills what they might be. He was confused by what she said previously, so she responded with a chuckle, “I understand.” The female thought for a moment. She wanted to precisely state exactly what she did and didn’t know about fighting and combat. “Well, I’ve fought before, so I have some knowledge about the most vulnerable spots on the body. I know that I need to defend these spots on my own body as well as aim for them on my opponent. I can fight well, but I become exhausted quickly. As far as tactical combat and fighting or even hunting in a group goes, I’m afraid I’m pretty clueless...” Ladonna displayed humility in her tone and body language. “If given orders, I know I could follow them, but I have self-doubt about my efficiency in group battle.” She wanted Hannibal to get a good general idea of the work ahead of him… Ladonna chose not to deepen on the explanation of her history, particularly, the part about her aggressive brother and father. Remembering their first meeting, Ladonna felt that Hannibal probably knew all the needed to know, or cared to know.

Off to the side of her view, she spotted a dark figure emerging from the forest. She greeted him with a polite smile as he approached. For a moment, she almost thought him to be Venom, that older male she met at Pievunt-An, but the way he presented himself to the trio and the appearance of his youth argued against that misunderstanding. Venom was much older than this new stranger. Ladonna believed him to be another warrior responding to her inviting howl. Certainly, a new face would subtract slightly from her comfortability, but one more teacher to learn from guaranteed some form of success in this training session. She bowed to him as he did. Ladonna observed that the black wolf already knew Hannibal and Graham. His willingness to help her train was pleasing to hear. The fact that he was Arche’s brother made her the slightest bit uneasy, but she’d learn to be okay with this. She had to be, one way or the other, now that she was part of a unified pack.

“My name is Ladonna,” she answered the male with a smile. “Pleased to meet you, Jadir. And yes, I am seeking warrior training. I’d be honored to receive advice from you as well as Hannibal.” She was curious about where the two warriors would have her start.

Word Count: 557
Tag(s): Hannibal and Jadir
Muse:
Notes: I am quite sick with a cold and trying to kick my muse back into gear, so I apologize if my post is absolute crap ^^’

[Hannibal]

The easy, care-free air around the three lupines was wonderful, and something that Hannibal had truly been getting used to since he joined Airila. Nothing was hard here, and all was peaceful; unlike his tumultuous childhood, life under his new alpha and with his packmates was beautiful and pristine. He had yet to meet a wolf he did not care for, and not a single one was rude or unkind. The environment bred more and more serenity, and Hannibal was fairly sure it would do wonders for his condition--not that he could control it, however.

Ladonna cleared up her previous explanation, and the male nodded, understanding now. "So you have basic knowledge, and could defend yourself as necessary. But you lack discipline and training, as well as stamina," he said thoughtfully, looking at her as he did so. Though he had thoroughly inspected her when the two had first met, it never hurt to constantly be aware of whomever one might be fighting alongside. "Luckily, it does not take much to learn to fight. Everything is a formula based on the action, however; one must be prepared to change tactics at a moment's notice. There is no set run of moves that will work for you one-hundred percent of the time, nor with every enemy."

He paused, then, when Jadir materialized out of the trees. Graham had perked his head and turned, but did nothing more than that, which had been what clued the distracted wolf in to the entrance. A warm smile was offered to the dark male, and a kind nod. "Jadir. I'm glad you have happened upon us," he responded smoothly, allowing the wolf to speak to Ladonna, and she in turn to introduce herself to him. Hannibal was not surprised that she did not yet know the son of their ill alpha; he had only met Jadir himself a little while ago, and he had been here longer than Ladonna. It was a large area that Airila encompassed, and Warriors were constantly on the move.

"We were just discussing what Ladonna needs training in," he began again when introductions were over, always getting back on track when there was a task at hand. "I think that our main focus should be on endurance, at least to start. Keeping up with the enemy as well as your fellow warriors is exceedingly important; if you do not have enough energy, you will not live long." His words, though kind, were blunt and honest, as he always was. If Ladonna was unable to fight for an extended period of time, she would die; it was simply a fact. "I spend much of my time running and practicing, I would be happy to share that time with you. Or, at the very least, getting you started on your own."

Words || 485
Tags || Jadir, Ladonna
Notes || Whee~ Sorry this took a bit! Liz your reply was just fine.< 3