Ithiel is by me!
The dust-colored coyote nodded his head and looked at her with a wry glance, the smile on his face remaining. Ithiel's smiles were rare enough; a smile broadening into full grins and amusement was exceedingly so. The question was a smart one, and it was good to teach someone with at least a beginning understanding of combat, or some natural inclination for it. Myrika could boast no such instincts or comprehension -- she needed to be trained entirely from the ground up, and questions worth asking rarely occurred to her. Still, she was much smarter than he was in other areas, and he could not completely disregard her talents. She had educated him on horsemanship, after all.
Yes -- a sword could be used to knock you away, and a strong enough arm can do damage. But a lethal blow is much harder if you are closer -- they can't stab with the sword, just swing, he said. You must be quick -- quick enough to get away before they can do that. If you can't strike a killing blow, slash quickly and dart away. Like our ancestors fought -- dart into the fight, and jump back out before anyone can catch you, he said, rolling back and forth on his feet while he leapt to one side. Jump to the side, back, forward, in, out, he said. Never in a pattern -- keep them guessing.
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