The Training Begins (Tagged)

[Deleted]

Nico:
Nico was a ball of hurt.

Every other step was a wince, but he had long ago learned how to hide his pain. He just had to be careful and the scar wouldn't be too bad. Just another story that he didn't want to tell. He had many of those, one over his back from a pup he had been forced to kill, one over his ear from when he had been too weak to do anything but cry when another wolf had sunk his fangs into his neck. One over his lip from a fight with a fellow Argentum in the pits. The scars that had blinded him. All stories he had no wish to remember.

Nico's over-alert ears picked up on the sounds of gleeful voices and running long before the owners of the voices came into sight. The dark silver male couldn't see them clearly, but they sounded happy. One voice he recognized as Ruko, but he didn't recognize the other.

Nico remained silent, watching off to the side. His smile was soft, watching this young couple that was clearly in love. And they were so cute. Was this how Mauku had watched him and Kiki before they had gotten together? Hu. They were a lot like him and Kiki, and yet nothing like them. He wanted to make himself known, but he resisted for as long as he could. Allowing them to be happy for as long as they could. When he couldn't wait any longer, he woofed in greeting. "Ciao ... Interrompo qualcosa?" (Hello... Am I interrupting something?) He spoke in Italian, not fully registering that he had.

[Rykett]

Ruko:

Before Ruko knew it, he was smiling down at Sands beneath him. Laughing, he let her get to her paws. She crouched down into the traditional play position. "But I get to chase you now," Sandy giggled. ”True,” Ruko agreed with a raised, challenging eyebrow. He jumped into a wider stance, ready for action. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the form of an approaching wolf. Ruko blinked, focusing on the distant canine. Who was it? Was it Nico or an enemy? Did it know Ruko and Sands were there? Was it going to-

”Start running!” Sands’ playful voice brought his focus back to the game. The wolf was probably not a threat. There wasn’t any reason to worry for now. ”Oh! Right,” he said, dumbly. Ruko tried to leap into motion, but he barely went a tail-length before Sands pounced on him and he went down under the light, soft, and giggling Sands. His falling body displaced a puff of dirt. He spat out a mouthful of the filth and laughed, again, the approaching wolf basically forgotten. Ruko pushed himself to his feet. ”Guess I’m not very good at being chased!” he joked.

"Ciao ... Interrompo qualcosa?" A voice spoke in a pause between their sentences. ”What?” Ruko’s voice was confused. Was that another language? Ruko looked around, quickly finding the owner of the voice. ”Oh, Nico.” Ruko’s eyes flicked to Sands, worried for a second before he noticed the almost wistfully smile on his mentor’s face. He padded over to the older wolf. ”Um, Nico, meet Sands!” he introduced, hurriedly, ”Sands, Nico.”

[Fierfly]

Sahandra:

Ruko didn't get very far. With her first spring he was under her paws and she waved her tail high in victory. The impact sent a huge puff of a dust-cloud up around them and Ruko's eyes momentarily widened before he spat out a mouthful of the dirt. "Guess I'm not very good at being chased!" he joked. Sands giggled some more. Maybe it was easier this way, she wasn't much better at running after something than Ruko appeared to be running away, they would have been at it for hours if Ruko wasn't an easy target, of course, even if he wasn't, Ruko was the kind of gentleman that would have slowed and pretended to be tired just long enough for her to catch him to dissuade the hours-long chase. "Lucky for me," she giggled, stepping away and letting him get back to his paws.

"Ciao ... Interrompo qualcosa?" Both of the young wolves jerked their heads around to see who had spoken. Sand's baby blue eyes widened. An older, battle-scarred male was limping painfully toward them, a confused but familiar expression on his face. Ruko apparently recognized him, padded over and made hurried introductions. The older wolf's name was Nico - Nico...Ruko's trainer? Replacement trainer she supposed, it was supposed to have been Snow, but they couldn't find him. Wasn't Nico Snow's brother? There was some kind of relation she remembered, and because they couldn't seem to find the warrior, Nico had stepped up in his place to train Ruko instead. But he was hurt! "Pleased to meet you," she quickly bobbed her head, if just to be polite and get the introduction over with to get to the real issue. "You're hurt!" she began looking around frantically, she was no healer and right now she couldn't remember a herb or root for the life of her...except for burdock. Would burdock grow somewhere so marshy? No, probably not. "Are you in much pain? Do you need healing?" she whipped back around to face the instructor, eyes wide with frantic concern.

[Deleted]

Nico:
Nico took a hurried step back as Sands, after saying hello, was worried. His blue eyes went wide with surprise. "Che cosa? Oh, quello. Va bene," (What? Oh that? It's fine,) Nico, once again, spoke in Italian. Then he realized that neither of them spoke Italian, and hurriedly corrected himself. "Oh! It's okay, I'm fine. I won't be doing any hard tussling, but I'll live." He hoped that that was enough to throw her off his case, he'd had enough worried females asking after his health for a little while. Pearl had been pretty good with patching him up. He then looked at Ruko. "Quite the she-wolf you have here. Consider yourself lucky." His smile was more dry then anything.

Then looking back at Sands, he retook the step forwards. His shoulder protested, more so then usual. Nico almost hissed, but he clenched his jaw to stop any sound from coming out. "I'll be fine, not like I haven't had worse. Now, how did you two meet?" Nico was genuinely curious. He had always found 'How we met' stories adorable. (His own with Kiki had been anything but until the cuddling thing) His blue eyes were filled with a warmth not commonly associated with the silver wolf.

Nico looked back at Sands, and thought of how she reminded him of Kiki (From what he had seen). To be honest, he didn't know if that was scary or not.

Sitting down, he sighed. Nico wasn't a ball of energy and youth anymore, he hadn't been for a few years. Getting on in years could do that to you, and then he noticed something. He was only two or three inches taller then Sands. His ears went full up in surprise. He had always known he wasn't a large wolf, but.. It only was just hitting him how short he actually was. It wasn't like he could remember how far the ground was from his face when he had been a yearling, that had been years ago! Nico had always assumed that, when voices came from above him, that the wolves he was speaking with were simply large and he was average sized.

Looking at Ruko, his ears went back. He was shorter! "When.. How... What, when did everyone get taller then me? I could have sworn.." Nico growled darkly, muttering something about 'Stupid rabbits being so fast'.

[Rykett]

Ruko:

Sands nodded her head, respectfully but her mind was obviously focused on something else. That something being Nico’s wounds. Nico was wounded! How had Ruko not noticed that immediately? Maybe it was that Ruko always looked to a wolf’s face first when he was greeting others. Nico’s hadn’t shown any hint of pain in his expression. In response to Sands’s query about his health, Nico spoke more nonsense words. Maybe it wasn’t just his body that was wounded. Did some evil wolf do something to him? Had they driven him insane? Just as Ruko was beginning to panic, Nico spoke an intelligible sentence. He assured Sands that he was fine, but Ruko wasn’t so sure. He could be just saying that. Then Nico changed the subject from him to Sands.

"Quite the she-wolf you have here. Consider yourself lucky." For a second, Ruko thought Nico had said, ”Quiet the she-wolf,” which would’ve spoken volumes about Nico’s opinions of she-wolves. Ruko was taken aback for a second before he realized he’d misheard. The real meaning behind Nico’s words, however, just made Ruko clumsily scramble for words. ”I don’t… I mean… we’re not… I just… Sands and I aren’t doing… stuff… like… we’re just…” He was about to say “friends,” but he looked over at Sands wondering if that’s all they were. Ruko wondered if she was starting to think they were more. Or were those just his fantasies? Ruko averted his eyes from Sands, trying to organize his thoughts so he could speak a coherent sentence. Instead, his yellow-gold eyes rested on Nico.

His mentor shifted his weight and winced. That immediately got Ruko’s thoughts off the sensitive subject of his and Sands’s relationship. Nico had probably been lying about not needing healing. Should they get him to White Magic? Or did Sands have any knowledge of herbs and healing that would suffice? Ruko opened his mouth to ask when Nico asked about how Ruko and Sands had met after another guarantee of his fineness. Should Ruko pursue the question of Nico’s alright-ness? Or just give the “how we met” story? A little worried about offending and scaring off Nico, Ruko decided on the latter, ”She was being attacked by this giant evil male in the barrens. I found her and stepped in. I didn’t really do much, though. Another male stepped in to challenge the evil one. I just distracted him enough for us to escape.” It wasn’t that heroic of a story. Maybe if Ruko had battled the evil male and won! That would’ve been impressive, but instead, he’d run with Sands, leaving a stranger to fight the battle alone. He had no idea how that fight had turned out.

Nico was frowning. Ruko cocked his head, wondering if he’d said something offensive to Nico. The older wolf’s next words clarified thing… a bit. He was upset about being short? ”Um… you look about the same height as before, to me…” Ruko really didn’t care about how short or tall Nico was, as long as he could teach Ruko to fight. Speaking of which, they should probably make some arrangements about Sands during Ruko’s training, ”Nico, would it be alright is Sands stayed in the area during my training? She found a great den nearby and everything!”

((Hey, Tear, how about you do a time skip after Nico’s response in your next post?))

[Fierfly]

Sahandra:

Nico took a step back at her approach eyes widening slightly - from apprehension or surprise she couldn't tell so she respectfully slowed and stayed back. He said something she couldn't make out - much like the words he'd spoken earlier. Another language? The concept wasn't foreign to Sahandra and yet she'd never heard someone communicate only in their other language for any extended period of time. If he was speaking differently then he was alright, right? But what if he was slurring and she just couldn't tell because she didn't know the dialect? Nico caught himself and explained again, this time in a language they could all understand. "It's okay, I'm fine. I won't be doing any hard tussling, but I'll live."

Sahandra wasn't entirely convinced, his hurts looked serious but...wait a minute...had he already been treated? Remains of leaves and a trace of some kind of medicinal balm was smeared here or there and now soaked with his drying blood. Maybe Nico had already seen to his wounds or someone else nearby. In any case he stubbornly insisted he was fine. In that case she wasn't going to pester him, she didn't want to upset him, but it wasn't going to stop her from asking again later.

"Quite the she-wolf you have there. Consider yourself lucky." Ruko began to stutter and Sands ducked her head and blushed, her cheek-fur curling away from the heat of her face. "Ah- we're-" she didn't even get as far as Ruko had in his string of unintelligible syllables before they both burned curiously to each other. Were they? She liked to think they were quite good friends now, for all he'd done for her, she just wished she could do something for him in return. Ruko turned away from her in embarrassment and she felt the little butterflies in her heart again, as much as she hated seeing him uncomfortable, Ruko was kinda cute when he was flustered.

Ruko instead answered Nico's next query: how they'd met. Everything he said was factually accurate, and yet she couldn't help but feel that Ruko was selling himself short. "You were very brave," she insisted gently, then turned to Nico, lest he feel Ruko had been cowardly. "The wolf was almost twice his size, covered in fresh blood, a ruthless killer. Ruko kha Saver challenged him and helped me to escape safely. He's a good warrior,"

She thought she saw a fleeting smile on Nico's face and then a slight grimace as he eased himself back and looked her up and down, ears startling forward. "When.. How... What, when did everyone get taller then me?" he demanded, continuing to mutter something about rabbits she couldn't quite catch. Ruko looked surprised and unsure how exactly to respond, she felt much the same. "You're taller than me," she pointed out optimistically.

Ruko tentatively asked Nico for permission for her to stay in the area while he trained. She too turned to the older wolf anxiously, hoping he'd lean toward the affirmative. He seemed overall to be reasonable, a little gruff and rough around the edges, but he almost seemed to have taken a liking to her and she hoped that would mean he would let her stay.

[Deleted]

(Sure! Would it be in Ruko or Sands' character to ask Nico about one of his scars? It could make for a good around-the-campfire thing)
Nico:
Nico almost laughed as Ruko stuttered. He restrained himself to a grin. Then the story came, and Nico nodded. Still smiling. "Ruko, you will make a warrior yet. And smart move, pick your battles." Something I rarely had the luxury of doing. Nico kept that to himself, not wanting to ruin the moment. While Sands' vocabulary was new to him, he shrugged it off. Italian was his first language, and he knew there were a variety of other languages spoken outside of the valley. (Another thing he puzzled over, why was the common language the only one in use through the valley?)

Then the response to his question of when everyone got taller then him. "I was always under the impression I was average sized and most of the wolves I met were tall. I couldn't exactly tell." Looking back at Sands, he shrugged. "I suppose." Looking back on it, Caesar had looked incredibly tall last Nico had seen him. He just assumed life had looked kindly apon him and given him all the weak rabbits. The battle scarred silver male saved those thoughts for later when he had some time and get back to the task at hand. "Sure, I see no reason why not. It was a custom in my pack for the females to watch the males train." Nico didn't even realize he had dropped a hint about his past. Something he did not want to do. It wasn't a lie, the turnout had always been much larger when if was Nico and Snow (And Caesar by default) were training. (Hey, they were a good-looking set of brothers!)

So, Ruko? Back to work?" Nico started circling the younger wolf, ready to fall into the dance he was so familiar with.

(Time skip to the end of Ruko's training, or so. This is mid-fight, I guess)

Something changed in Nico. His blue eyes got colder, his stance got lower. His hackles went up a little more. Subtle things, things not likely to be noticed. His lips raised a little more, showing sharp white fangs that were surprisingly long.

The dance he knew so well had changed. It was a equally well-practiced dance, but a much deadlier one.

Dark silver paws became careful with their placement, tall ears were rotating like sonar dishes. A small swish of Nico's tail and he jumped at Ruko. But mid-leap he tumbled, aiming to get under Ruko's belly. If this succeeded, Nico would kick with his back feet, attempting to knock Ruko to the side. It was Nico's signature move, one used in the middle of a fight to turn the tide. If it didn't work, Nico would start fighting like a trapped animal, his eyes would go wide and his paws would claw at every bit of available flesh like his life depended on it.

The grass was gone in Nico's mind. Everything beyond his opponent and his own body was gone. Just like before.

(The tips/rules of fighting:
*Always have the fight on your terms
*Pick your battles, if it isn't worth it don't fight, living is always more impotent
*Fight fast and dirty
*Chivalry is dead, don't try to bring it back. Fight dirty always, no matter the opponent
*Take advantage of any weakness
*Don't play around, get right to it and give your opponent no chance
*Never underestimate any opponent, not a pup or a elder or a blind wolf
*DON'T ASK ABOUT THE FACE SCARS!
*Don't ask about the small one on my muzzle either.
*Darkness, age and stupidity are your best friends)

[Rykett]

Training with Nico hadn’t been what Ruko was expecting. He considered his goals to be noble. He was going to rid the world of a terrible wolf, a wolf that deserved to die. Meanwhile, Nico had taught the importance of taking advantage of one’s situation even if that meant fighting dirty. The ”chivalry is dead” lesson especially didn’t sit well with Ruko. Chivalry, honor, justice… wasn’t that what Ruko was fighting for? Still, Ruko couldn’t refuse Nico’s teachings. It’d taken Ruko far too long to find a mentor. Maybe his mission didn’t fit exactly into a Good wolf’s idea of justice.

That didn't stop Ruko from feeling strongly about it. He hated his father. He hadn't even met the wolf, yet he hated him. Scorpius was supposed to be there for Ruko and his mother and his sister, but he wasn’t. Instead, Scorpius had sent Blaise into a whirlwind of despair. Ruko had grown up without seeing how much his mother was struggling. Looking back, he saw now. And he refused to allow that monster to continue living without regret. Ruko would show him exactly how much pain he’d caused by any means necessary, just the way Nico taught him.

In the corner of his eye, Ruko could see Sands watching the practice fight from the sidelines. Ruko still had those confusing feelings about their relationship. In fact, it felt like they’d grown stronger. The two had become good friends, but Ruko couldn’t help but hope they’d become more. Yet, he was nervous to broach the subject. What if she didn’t feel the same? Every time Ruko started to edge towards an expression of his feelings, the conversation collapsed into a pile of awkwardness.

Ruko pushed thoughts of Sands aside for a bit. He needed to focus on the fight and thoughts of her made him… distracted to say the least. Nico’s dove for Ruko’s underbelly. Ruko had been fighting with Nico long enough to recognize the wolf’s signature move. Ruko tried to leap away, paws outstretched as they attempted to push Nico away and out of the familiar, balanced position. The fact that Nico would try that move with Ruko, one that knew Nico’s fighting style, indicated that the male was getting desperate. Was Ruko winning then? Something about Nico had changed over the course of the fight. It was only for practice, but Nico didn’t seem to be acting like it.

Nico’s favorite move often made him pull out on top. Ruko had his own trump card, his Cyclone, but Nico had discouraged Ruko from relying on it. It was better for Ruko to learn to fight without his power. There was no need to employ its use, yet. Instead, Ruko tried another trick. Ruko pushed off the ground, leaping into the air and hopefully over Nico’s head. His head duck to snag Nico’s scruff. If he caught it, he’d pull the older wolf to ground, hopefully pinning him under Ruko’s paws.

((I could imagine Ruko maybe asking about them, but I’m not really sure if there’s much time for it.... I’m planning to send Ruko off to find Savu really soon. XP Also, do we want to grab a fight mod for this practice brawl?))

[Fierfly]

Sands Sahandra:

Mediterranean blue eyes watched intently, ears twitching and jerking at the snarls and yips and as teeth snapped together and the males huffed and panted as they went at it. She wasn't big into watching the fights - the violence didn't appeal to her, but Nico said that was how things had been done in his pack, so she watched to support Ruko. It was actually rather useful, afterward Ruko sometimes asked her how he might have done better and she could report something she'd noticed - favoring a side, using one maneuver once too often, things like that. She was always careful to be quiet and keep back comments - they were training very specifically, she didn't want to distract them, but it was a wonderful opportunity to get to know them. Nico was an old-hand at his art, he was confident, had gotten comfortable in his routine - he liked to push Ruko and expected much of him and himself, but he never talked to her for very long and she sensed he was more comfortable in the heat of the action. Ruko was less confident - though that changed as the season progressed and he gained more experience. He had a drive, a burning instinct and motivation to learn - and he was willing, that was enough for her.

Nico dove for Ruko's underbelly - Ruko stepped aside and jumped, hurtling his tall, narrow bulk through the air and dropping down, snagging Nico's scruff and throwing his weight to the ground. In spite of herself and how much she detested violence, she leaned forward in interest. He was so close this time! Oh please let him win, "Come on, come on," she whispered,

---

Nico:

His stocky rear legs swung up to punch away Ruko's body, send him flying - but his claws scraped empty air - Ruko had jumped, bulk slamming back down and maw flashing and teeth sinking into his scruff as the momentum of his drop rolled him back over and onto his feet. Rage boiled behind the dark blue eyes. Smart move, but not in Nico's favor. Even in practice, he didn't like to lose, and this was no ordinary practice scuffle - this fight was in earnest - because the batttle Ruko was planning was going to be very much in earnest.

Nico wailed - a hideous sound, something between a battle cry and a pained howl - oh yes, he could feel the teeth in his scruff, but his adrenaline was pumping and the fight was in him now, he wasn't going to just let him win for that dodge. There was a lot more to fighting than dodging.

Like winning.

Ruko had actually given him a very advantageous angle. Ruko's grip fell on the lower end of his scruff, more on his spine than his neck. Nico twisted his head around and sank his teeth into the slack fur on the side of Ruko's neck - the best grip he could reach, much closer and he'd be hitting the long bone, and those were a pain in the maw to grab. He seized the shag and pulled, throwing his weight back and shifting his shoulders, working to roll Ruko's bulk over him and let it slam back down onto the ground - then Nico would have the high ground.