A word of promise was not enough of a binding contract. True reliability was shown with action, as the woman had come to learn. Her own faults falling under the category of unreliable due to her inexcusable behavior. Her pride still smarted, her disposition not at all pleased with how she had conducted herself. One would have expected guilt, but there was no trace to be found. Only a heavy embarrassment tact with disappointment bore upon her shoulders leaving no room for her companion to perch.

He hung high in the cloud covered sky riding the brisk winds of the coming winter. Below his master remained in his sights, watching her form lumber deeper into the mountain façade, her limbs working rhythmically to scale formidable rock and stone to reach the promised place. In compliance with his role he scouted ahead with his piercing gaze penetrating the scare foliage to what resided below. A lightly colored hide caught his attention and with prey in his sights, he dove with predator swiftness leaving his master to her climb as he sought his prize; a weathered shoulder of a familiar presence.

Hearing the cry of his fall, the Nomad knew he had met with their appointment. That he had reached Vesper before her quickened the woman’s climb, no longer taking each stone carefully but in bounds til she loped over the subtle cliff on all fours, Optime form painfully scrunched to accommodate. “Suppose this makes me late,” she chuckled softly, exhaling an exhausted breath as she looked from companion to the other. “I hope I haven’t kept you waiting long my friend…”

The owl was rather content on his new perch, despite how it tried and failed to shrug him off. His talons only clung more determinedly onto the shoulder, not grating through the flesh so much as he was keeping his ground. With each shake his wings would span to keep his balance nearly knocking the poor girl in the head as they unfurled. It was only his master came loping to them that he showed from sign of possibly letting go. His watchful eyes shown with avian amusement at her less their graceful advance. “You look silly,” he hooted softly, knowing now her ears were trained enough to pick up his speech. The annoyed growl in turn proved his assumption right and again he hooted with mirth, relinquishing his reluctant perch for a more familiar one as it made itself available.

As X’yrin rose she caught the bird on her shoulder still looking annoyed from his previous abandonment. A smarting comment was kept just on her lips but she hadn’t the energy to execute neither it nor the will. Her disposition was still less than pleasant for the moment, but it brightened seeing her friend’s smiling face and her offering. “You didn’t have to do that,” she muttered beneath her breath, tail tucking shyly between her thighs. “Seeing you use these techniques is payment enough for me.”

Truth be told, any time she could spend away from Ichika at the moment was a reward in its own way. She had no qualms with the pack as a whole, but the wound suffered by her own selfish act was still raw. Even the presence of her lover did little to subdue the pain the emotional pain… no matter how rigorously he tried. “But I appreciate your efforts,” she smiled, complimenting the woman’s thoughtfulness before her fragile smile faltered at the name of her pack. Hastily, she replied, “Everything is fine. I just needed a break from the work is all. Has everything faired will for you in your home?”

A rare breed. This would not be the first time the woman heard this comment ushered on her behalf. Usually it was spoken by those not used to her culture’s giving nature, or the few unwilling to believe that an emotional invocation carried the same merit as something substantial; physical. She listened with receptive ears to her companion’s talk of Inferni, relating to the situation she had found herself in. It was not long ago that the Nomad was in the coywolf’s position; residing just of the fringe of community and the wild, keeping to herself but not withholding completely. It was a testing time for certain, one in which she had faith the woman would prevail. She smiled fondly, reveling in her own comfortable silence before it was interrupted by the beginning of their lesson.

As Vesper rose from her seat the owl took flight allotting the female with freer movement now unhindered by his weight. X’yrin never fancied herself an instructor, but felt herself capable enough to provide what knowledge she could in their limited time. Rather than delve straight into exchanging blows, she took a moment to enlighten her pupil of the ways of the art she would teach.

“It is not enough to exchange blows,” she began, raising a clawed hand to comb back the bangs that covered her eyes. “You must have set in your mind what your goal is. You may not always be given the time to recall certain movements, but as long as you have in your mind what you are trying to achieve, your body will follow suit. Try this; focus only on getting behind me. Be it to escape of take me by surprise is irrelevant. You want only to get behind me.” Patiently, the woman clasped her hands behind her back while standing well balanced on the balls of her feet. She took no particular stance or gave any indication she would attempt to thwart her progress. She simply stood there, smiling as she always did, awaiting her pupil’s advance. “Once you do this, we can advance to blows.”

Her instructions undoubtedly came off as odd, especially when their lesson was supposed to involve a more proactive route. But there was a reason for the madness, as it were, still kept concealed by a fond smile. She watched Vesper mull over her words, scrutinizing her form for a tell of something other; perhaps challenging.

Once her pupil made her step, so did the Exultare. She maintained the distance between them making neither advancement nor retreat, simply keeping to the exterior of their transparent circle, her front still facing her companion; crossing on limb gracefully over of the other. The serene smile played upon her lips slowly gave way to a mischievous grin as her tail stroked the air excitedly. “If you keep at it like this, we’ll be at it all day,” she warned, lifting a claw to gently tap her nose in thought. “How far will we get if you cannot trust your own body, I wonder…”

“And now this is you thinking again,” she raised her tone, hoping to interrupt the hybrid’s train of thought. She could see the contemplation in her eyes, the judge of distance still left between them. It was the very same look she had shared with her Shepard countless times during their training. And just how he had persuaded her to use her instinct instead of thought, so did she struggle to do the same for her pupil. Had she been this difficult as well, she wondered.

Their little dance came to a pause; a flash of irritation crossed the female’s face raising the older woman’s brows with interest. Had she struck a nerve? Vesper was not still for much longer as she form darted across the distance. Her sights were trained on her form, committing each step to memory, watching for the shift in her direction. Yet it was not what she anticipated. She was genuinely surprised to see the sudden confident shift but did not let herself be overwhelmed by it. As Vesper darted for her right, the Nomad pivoted smoothly on the ball of her left foot, keeping her back just out of reach.

Then in a flash her right arm shot out, her heavy digits seeking to grab the head of her still calculating student. “Your only thought should be to get behind me,” she gently chided the other. “No other thought should cross your mind. Now do it.”

They were getting somewhere at last, though it would have been more pleasant if grabbing a handful of matted mane wasn’t the catalyst for her. X’yrin would hear the irritation in the other’s voice and let out an amused growl of her own, letting her hand fall to her side once her student slipped free. No wonder her Shepard was always smiling through their lessons; this was absolutely entertaining!

Their eyes met briefly and the female’s maw split into a satisfied grin, at last seeing the vacant light of lacking thought; unreadable at last. Her assault lacked practiced grace, but it was a positive start. Through these motions however wild and unrefined would X’yrin be able to see the dormant potential in need of surface and polish. Following the motions of the assault, she attempted a counter with an attack of her own, sliding a foot toward to brace herself while thrusting her left arm forward aimed to take Vesper by the throat. Would her student be quick enough, she wondered, to take see the opportunity presented before her and follow through…

To witness progress brought a smile to the woman’s face even if it was not her own. The movements were not seamless and could use detailing to make them smooth, but they were ‘attempted’ not by thought but by feel and that was enough to satisfy the mentor. Her pupil’s instincts were alive and well, still sharpened by the wet-stone of the wanderers’ life. She had feared she would need to chisel through the compressed heap domestication to free her potential, but was able to rejoice in knowing this was not the case.

Her grasping claws missed their mark and instead clasped air. She prepared to shift her stance, pivot in place and bring her bracing leg around, but it was too late. Accidently or otherwise, Vesper had succeed. The woman had to turn her head around to garnish her student with praise before the rest of her golden form followed the swift moment and stood righted itself. “See? That wasn’t too difficult, now was it?”

The Nomad could only smile at her student’s reply, knowing all too well the difficulties presented by this less than simply task. She had once suffered the embarrassment herself while under the instruction of her Shepard, though with her stubborn mind, she was sure it took several more attempts than these to succeed. “You will be surprised what your body is capable of once you quiet the noise of your mind and give in to instinct. Your body knows how to fend for itself in any form; it just needs the opportunity to show its ability.” Gently she placed a hand upon her companion’s shoulder. “But this is a very good start, Vesper.”

Truly it was warming to witness success and such a light was motivating to continue on this desired path. As her arm fell from the girl’s shoulder, the nameless owl took it upon himself to once again settle on her shoulder hooting contently. The Nomad didn’t mind him in the slightest as her attention was devoted to sharing what she could with a mind so willing to accept it. X’yrin carefully lowered herself to her knees arranging her paws beneath her so that she remained upright while seated. She crossed her hands patiently in her lap then gestured with a nod for her pupil to do the same. She grew calm as she assumed the role of Shepard for the sake of enlightenment.

“There is not a task next,” she began, “but I would like to talk to you about this path you have begun. The Exultare are warriors of the Nomads. We were formed long before our forebears began the Endless Path, and still we remain having prevailed through the tests of time. Unlike the warriors of most other clans, we do not bare our teeth first, but our words instead hoping to pacify the situation before it comes to blows. However, if violence is truly the course to take, our goal is to suppress it. Our technique is based on transformation of negative energy into positive; take the offender’s attack and divert it into a suppressive hold. This is not easy to do and a single mistake against a refined opponent could result in fatal injury or death. Because of this risk, we are trained to ‘read’ the intentions of others. The body tells all, but the eyes never lie.” She raised a paw to her head, and tapped it lightly to inquire understanding.

“When it comes to naked aggression which cannot be reasoned with, we are advised to avoid them…” gradually the woman’s ears depressed against her skull, weighed by a burden carried by all those who bore the name Exultare. “However, if we cannot,” she inhaled deeply. “Our only thought is to kill them. We keep that single thought in our minds and trust that our abilities will see us through. I have witnessed impressive skill when one was driven to save themselves… but it was nothing in comparison to what one could do when their minds were consumed with the notion to kill. Everything else falls away… you are driven by the desire to have only yourself stand as victor. It is a thought we Exultare fear above all else, because it is the path that leads to becoming the Exultare Shepard, and so few have come back from it mentally sound. Above all else, Vesper, I caution that you do not become consumed by that thought and if so, do not surrender to its allure. Remember that you are a dangerous creature and will be made more so through these teachings. Your mind will be trained above all else for without control over that, any modification to your body is useless. You will learn to suppress anger and silence unnecessary thought while in combat, so that if you do stray down that treacherous path, it will be that less difficult to bring you back to a sound state of mind. You will be molded into an oppressor of the darkened heart and with time, we will touch upon your strength brought on by rage and madness… and that too you will learn to control making you ready should you be damned to face an attack on your life.”

Her eyes showed bright with experience having had this conversation with her Shepard seasons before. But while she offered this girl a choice in her path, there hadn’t been an option for her. She was thrust into this world with only these words of warning before hand. There was not a way out of any of the trials. Even failure was not an escape. “Is this something you are truly ready for, Vesper?” Her ears drew forward attentively, receptive to either the acceptance or rejection of this path presented before her. If the Nomad’s words had any sway, she would have confessed that the training was worth it in the end, but such rewards were better left to be discovered. Patiently, the Nomad and owl sat awaiting reply.

She was encouraged by her student’s keenness to her words. Adapting her searching eyes to the smaller female’s form, she looked for signs of distress upon her face… perhaps an inkling of doubt that would cross her eyes or the darkened shroud of disappointment upon her brow. Her words were by no means an attempt to dampen the girl’s resolve, more so they were meant to thoroughly explain what she would find for herself and the dangers within. However the Nomad was pleased not to see a darkness cloud her eyes, but a determined light. Even as her brows furrowed at the Exultare’s spoken words it was not of disdain but of contemplation. The gesture of understanding was well received and brought relief to the golden female.

Well, if Vesper truly understood then there was no reason to doubt this progress.
“Then there is no reason not to begin,” she affirmed with a gentle smile. Smoothly, the woman brought herself to stand by strength of her legs alone and gestured for her student to rise as well. There was little need to ponder on what to teach first. As her Shepard had done for her, so would she do for Vesper, leading her through the same lessons and techniques however absurd and mind-numbingly drawl. She had full confidence that the end result would be what he companion strove for and she would be better for it, her potential refined with a mind free of distraction. The day when she could look upon such a face of confidence would be a rewarding day for them both. She was certain of it.

“Vesper we will begin by training your mind. Not unlike meditation or goal is to relinquish the unnecessary thought and leave you only with a single notion. For the time being we will begin with defending.” Swiftly an opened hand shot out to grab the smaller female’s muzzle leaving little time for thought of retaliation. It was again meant to open that latent instinct so that her pupil could take from it as she willed. “In your mind should be only one task; defend yourself. Defend against me. Do not think of an attack, move instead. Trust that you WILL keep yourself from harm… or my claws WILL tear through you. Now... Protect yourself!”

Fear had never been shown on her half before and it unnerved the female for a moment. Her eyes grew wide from such naked emotion yet her mind remained where it should; in the moment conducting a much needed lesson.

Fear was too easy an emotion to succumb to. It rendered one’s actions more erratic than thoughtlessness and made them more vulnerable to attack especially to one with intent to kill. The Nomad’s lips peeled back whilst baring her fangs into the girl’s face hoping to bring her back to the present. “Stifle your fear…” her soft voice now raised with command. The coywolf had jerked herself from her grasp but that moment was freedom X’yrin attempted to keep short-lived. A pause was a luxury to be earned once this lesson was complete; and they had only just gotten started.

Again she shot out for the girl, the entirety of her form following through the direction of attack. She attempted a skewer with her left arm aimed to tear through her shoulder if it was not evaded. All thought was erased as her mind succumbed to a single, yet complicated notion. It was not without her own brand of difficulty she sought to make this notion come true without a fatal blow, but it was contingent upon her pupil and her trust in her instincts whether or not the Shepard’s goal was achieved;

Wound her.