Word Count → 346 :: Well, thanks for almost killing me. I was stupid enough to take a drink before reading your post. >>
The light bump seemed to have roused a smile out of the Praetorian, and Vesper admired the fine coyote features of her face when she grinned. Even when that particular smile went away, it lived on in her turquoise eyes, and the Optio almost stumbled over a rock in the path as repayment for noticing this. Luckily, her balance was as sharp as ever, and she managed to walk normally as she looked forward.
Her ears pricked when the tawny woman explained that she’d learned how to fight with a staff weapon. She looked back at Myri at this, about to make a remark that died on her lips when a mischievous look overtook the Praetorian’s face. Her bold question flustered the Optio, whose mouth opened and shut a couple of times before she snorted and faced forward, all cool again.
“Of course,” the scarred coywolf stated, and a muscle in her cheek jumped as she suppressed a smile. “I’m not stingy with my teaching; what kind of example would that be?”
Her mind was offering plenty of pleasant scenarios about how this whole thing could go horribly, horribly wrong, but she focused on their surroundings instead. It wasn’t so close here, like it had been among the other houses, and there was nice spring-soft grass on Myrika’s side of the path. Her nose told her that no one else was in the area, other than the odors of horses and sheep, and so she nodded to herself and continued.
“Brawling isn’t so different from fighting on four legs. I mean, instinct really plays a role. If you need to bite or claw, bite or claw. Simpler than fighting with a blade or a staff, I think.” She cleared her throat. “But the first lesson, as with all fighting, is that you have to be on your guard at all times. You don’t have a weapon between you and your assailant, just your body, and an attack can come out of anywhere.”
With this cheerful warning, Vesper pivoted on a dime and launched herself at Myrika.
Vesper Optime by Sie; table code from the Mentors!
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