The Curse and the Chance

[Meds]

Cinder

Kanga;

So, what? He was supposed to train some pup? Become a warrior and a babysitter in one fell swoop? Kanga snorted. Ahh well. Perhaps it wouldn't be that bad. It was early morning and the sun had just started to rise, and he was supposed to go meet the pup ("young adult") in a few short minutes in the clearing. He would go, of course, but it was just the getting there that was proving difficult.
Blaise knew what she was doing, he didn't doubt, but at the same time... putting him in charge of the education of a growing pack member? The thought made even him laugh.
In any case, the big red giant was dragging his big red heels and in general taking his sweet time getting there. As he went, suddenly though, Manaaki went past him at a brisk trot.

"Eh!" Kanga rumbled, trotting to catch up with his twin. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"
"I'm meeting my trainee in the Grove."
"You have a trainee?"
"Yes, Kanga."

...

"Well so do I, and you're in my way, alright?"

And with that the burlier twin was off running at a tremendous speed. He flashed past the silver brother in mere seconds and had turned the path leading to the clearing. No way was Manaaki's little wholesome scout prodigy going to be better than his briliant and budding warrior.

Kanga skidded to a messy halt once reaching the Canopied Clearing, barely breathing heavily even with his mad dash. He did a quick scan of the area, unable to locate his trainee right away—that didn't mean Chance wasn't there, though.

[Cinder]

Chance was in a rush, practically tripping over his feet while he was on his way to the clearing. Oh it was his first day and he was already going to be late. His trainer ought to have his tail if he kept this up. His long strides were uneven as the small blue wolf avoided debri and such on the ground. He was distracted by the gorgeous path on his way there and had taken much longer. A large red male had charged past him and he felt small before realizing that the passing wolf in fact Kanga, speak of the devil.

Chance felt his heart jump and his pace sped up as he tried to catch up. He searched for his voice, nervous. "Kanga! Wait up!" After shouting, he pushed himself as hard as he could to get beside his trainer. Slowing down, Chance tried to pace his own breathing and straightened out with his head tilting up to Kanga as he took deep breaths. "I'm not late, am I, sir?"

[Meds]

Kanga;

"I'm not late, am I, sir?"

Kanga turned surprisingly gracefully for one of his shocking size, and dropped his gaze to the little blue wolf. He was nervous, Kanga could smell it on him. Well, that would never do. The little wolf tried his best to even out his breathing, and it brought a smile to the big russet wolf's face.
"No later than I am." He gave a deep, friendly chuckle, feeling the bass roll out of his chest like the waves of an earthquake. He fixed Chance with an even stare. "There's no need to be nervous around me, kid. Hasn't Rontu mentioned—er—motioned me?" He snorted at his own bad joke, then shook his head. "Well, even if he hasn't, I can tell you that I'm nobody to be nervous over—trainer or not." He winked, then walked a few paces away.

"So you want to be a Warrior, eh? That's good—it shows initiative. A wolf blessed with physical abilities owes it to others to help when they can." He nodded meaningfully. "I'll do my best to prepare you for ranking." His tail flicked behind him, flashing red under the brown for a moment.

"Now, are you hungry for breakfast, or do you want to get right down to business? If breakfast, I want to see if you can hear what I hear and hunt it for yourself. If business, tell me what you think a Warrior's duties are."

[Cinder]

Chance took one last deep breath, his eyes fluttering close. He exhaled and when he opened his eyes, they were full of energy and excitement. His tail began to wag at an even place along the ground. "Just nervous to finally be here. For as long as I remember, I have wanted nothing more than to work hard and give pack to the pack and family that has raised me."
His blue ears never stopped pushing forward to catch and understand everything that left Kanga's mouth. The pup was almost desperate to learn and grow. He nodded his head, "I'm not the strongest yet and I probably won't be, but I wanna try! I would like to catch something for breakfast if that's okay. Completely forgot to eat before coming here."

[Meds]

Kanga;

Chance was certainly eager to learn. Kanga could see that right away. His own grin mirrored the smaller wolf's, and even his big tail wagged behind him a few times. When Chance explained his reason for wanting to be trained, Kanga nodded along. It made sense. The son of the beta pair—paying back was probably built into the very fibres of his being. The big wolf sat and fixed the younger with a mischievous smile.
"I never pass up an opportunity for breakfast. Now, like I said before... do you hear what I hear?" Kanga ducked from the clearing and prowled slowly and carefully through the leaves. Grazing and shuffling a few hundred metres away was a young adult deer. No antlers, but hearty. Kanga smiled. No harm would come to Chance with him here. "Thoughts? Looks pretty tasty..."

[Cinder]

Chance followed his lead, creeping along with his blue head beside Kanga's side. His steps were a little sloppier, his body lower to hide his vibrant coat. He laid flat on his stomach when his mentor stopped moving and addressed him. His ears perked as he strained to hear anything, everything coming from the deer. It huffed as it lifted it's head slightly and chewed. Chance held his breath for a moment before whispering to the wolf beside him.
"Strong lungs, could outrun me with distance. I don't know your capacity." He went quite again and studied the deer closer. It packed muscle, he remembered when Mama told him to stay away from their hooves as well as how hard they kick. He squeezed his eyes as shut as he could possibly manage and let out a soft breath. Chance thought through everything. The deer hadn't looked up even once while the two were watching. It was prideful in itself and careless.
"We could take it out, but not easily. If we were hunting with the pack it'd be easier. With us, we'd need a plan.... I, ah, I just can't think of one right now."

[Meds]

Kanga;

The pup was clever. It had been a trick. Had he gone barrelling in all by himself, the deer surely would have gotten away or attacked; in any case, Chance would have failed. But he did not. Immediately, he began thinking of all the options and assessing what he knew of Kanga's strength. From his stomach, Kanga glanced over at him with a light smile and waited until he had finished his initial brain-work. Quickly, he got around to the knowledge that with just the two of them, they would need a plan. Kanga's smile split.
"Very good. A warrior who just goes into the fight relying on his strength alone is stupid. We are anything but stupid." The large red and brown tail swiped through the air behind him in his crouch. "Alright, so far you're on the right track. You don't know my capacity. I'm huge—but maybe I have a bad shoulder, or maybe I'm not interested in eating deer for breakfast. Therefore a good plan would be one that didn't involve an unfamiliar wolf doing a lot of the grunt work. Yes, it's smart to play to your strengths, but you don't know me yet. So with that knowledge, and while being aware that though we're in the same pack I could still betray you and leave you alone with the angry venison—what's a good strategy?"

He massaged the mud between his big claws and brought his eyes back to the deer.
"So. What is a plan that would involve both of us, but still leave you an escape route if things turn ugly, or if your partner leaves?" He was hoping the pup would get around to the idea of splitting up. Since Kanga was so much larger he was in a good position to frighten the deer and distract it, leaving it open for Chance. He was still young, so Kanga planned to help—but once he was bigger, the deer would be an acceptable target for one wolf to take down if distracted and caught unawares.

"And don't go thinking your brother and sister warriors will abandon you. Blaise is smart and picks good wolves. Just be aware that it's still your life in your hands at this point, and thinking of all your options is never a bad idea."

((Hiya Cinder! Not sure if you're still wanting to continue this thread? ^^))